To ask how to get rid of this f-ing relentless chest cold

[LostittoBostik]

It's been about two weeks for me, three for my DH. Kids have had it too but shrugged it off easier (eldest still has a bit of a cough).

We are tired, headachey, deep chesty cough with mucous, and shortness of breath (we're both asthmatic). Had a couple of days of sore throat but that passed.

But I don't feel that bad in my self - no temp, able to get on fine with work/parenting etc.

How long does this go on? It's so frustrating

If it goes on to 4 weeks see a dr. I ended up needing antibiotics to shift mine

I would go and see a GP

Christ, I'm on day six and thinking of docs tomorrow because I just keep feeling worse. Not better!

Pharmacists can help now if it's possibly bacterial

They are calling it "The 100 Day Cough".

Fucking pray I don't get it.

I've had mine for two weeks now and it's driving me mad. Like you, I feel well in myself but this cough is so annoying and I'm asthmatic too. Might do an econsult if no better after this week.

If peak flow is consistently low and shows no sign of returing to usual level, that's when I go to GP to get steroids and ABs.

I’m 3 weeks in and it’s easing up… it’s been a fucker of a cough though, haven’t had any like this for a good couple of years.

Thanks all. I'll give it a few days and then see a doc. It's rare for my asthma to play up for so many days in a row - even though it's very mild, so I'm not concerned.

I don't feel bad in myself, definitely don't need anything as strong as steroids. Most days I haven't even needed any paracetamol.

But obviously I dont want it to settle into my chest for the winter 😬

Good call, thank you

Fuck me, no thanks

Are you using a fairly high dose steroid inhaler - because if not, that's the answer to your question. That's literally how you will shift it. I think a cold going to the chest and lingering there for months is pretty routine with under-managed asthma.

No I'm not. I haven't needed a routine steroid for years - my asthma is very mild, only ever need salbutamol maybe 3-4 days a year and only when ill or beforehand if I do high intensity exercise (which I don't these days due to having screwed ankles).
I've started taking my old clenil twice a day anyway, but it might be worth a review of my asthma as I'm older and about 7lb heavier than I used to be before my second child so maybe that's all having an impact

I've had mine for nearly a year. Honestly. Pretty sure I had covid and whooping cough overlapping (last Christmas). I've had 2 lots of anti biotics, chest xray normal, peak flows normal, negative for copd and other lung function test normal. For which I am grateful of course. It is however, now driving me entirely nuts. I hope you get well soon 🙂

It may be that you are one of those people with asthma who is well managed day to day, but would benefit from using the steroid inhaler during "flu season", or each time you have new symptoms of a cold. Because what you're describing sounds like an asthma flare to me. I used to have the exact symptoms you are describing every time I got a cold. It would go to my chest and I would feel run down and cough for weeks or months and I also had multiple episodes of constochondritis. I thought it was just me!

Then I was diagnosed with asthma and now I take a high dose combined steroid and bronchodilator inhaler each time I get a cold, and for a few weeks after. It's made a huge difference and I just don't experience these symptoms any more. I never had typical asthma symptoms between getting these chesty colds, or what you would call an "asthma attack". I also don't find salbutamol especially useful and use it very infrequently. Nevertheless an asthma inhaler has massively helped me. I would go back to your GP.

Last time I had a cold, I couldn't shake it off and ended up with a chest infection needing antibiotics - which gave me the trots so I was coughing and coughing and trying not to sh*t myself 😂 then got thrush from the antibiotics! Might be worth a visit to the docs if your chest isn't improving 🤷‍♀️

The 100 day cough is just another name for whooping cough.