To ask for help for a cough

[Ishehe]

Sorry I’m at my wits end and wondered if anyone had any advice and posting on here for traffic…

4 weeks ago started with a weird chest and cough - coughed up phlegm. No cold though just achey and very tried and this cough and bad chest.

3 weeks ago- aches went and tiredness and left with the chest and went back to work. Picked up a cold.

2 weeks ago- has 3 days off work and went to the GP about chest as the cough was so bad . Sent to hospital but they didn’t do an ultrasound- just did bloods for blood clot and it was fine so let go.

1 week ago- cough much better and well I myself.

last night - boom the bad barking awful cough is back with a vengeance . It’s so painful to cough so hard and I am sick and pee myself. I’m well in myself bar this shocking cough. Tickle in throat and barking cough all the time.

any one have any advice or tips? I keep drinking for drinks but I want to cry I feel so bad.

Have you got reflux? Sometimes acid goes up and irritates the airways hence coughing.

Old medicine for barking cough- chop the onion, add sugar,put it in a jar and shake. It should release the juice overnight. Drink a tablespoon of juice at time.

Thanks so much. At this point I’ll try anything . Don’t think I have reflux? Would I know if I did?! I have had that acid feeling before but after certain things like wine

I had something similar OP, it lasted about 6 weeks with a bad cold in between. The cough was a lot worse at night and was also peeing from coughing so hard. I used Jakemans cough sweets and Covonia cough syrup to ease symptoms and then eventually bought some good quality manuka honey - 3 - 4 spoonfuls a day mixed with Lemon and hot water. It went after 2 days

As it's got worse I would see the
GP to rule out a secondary bacterial infection.

Thank you- I will try this. Blooming awful isn’t it. The barking cough is so bad it’s painful and my muscles hurt and body and head from All the coughing. It’s always been my weak spot - I don’t think it helps I’m around kids all day and use my voice a lot!

I’m wondering that. Just to check I’m not missing anything

Try an antihistamine....

Also I had a cough for a year, went to GP and ? reflux now take a glug of gaviscon and cough has gone!!!

I think it was some form of COVID - I was very close to going to the GP in case it was a chest infection! Lots of people I know have had it too

@Hayley1256 that’s exactly what I think it is! I’ve had chest infections before but they started off as a cold and developed. This was totally different and weird . Awful thing - glad you’re better . I’ve just had to get another cough sweet so I can try and sleep!

my son had an awful on/off cough it got worse then better then really bad. GP did give him antibiotics after 3 weeks but they hadn't helped. In the end he was having a really bad asthma attack, blue lighted to the hospital and almost had to be intubated. Although he is a child, it could happen to adults too so definitely not being unreasonable!

Did he have asthma before? Or was the cough the start of it? And your poor boy that must have been scary 😦

Have you been vaccinated for whooping cough? That is usually described as a barking cough.

No I haven’t- is that something you can get lots? Chat gpt suggested that

Croup also produces a barking cough and can take a long time to get over if you get it as an adult.

Friend had whooping cough. Apparently it has made a bit of a come back in some areas.

I had this back in April, I went to the doctors twice and they finally prescribed me antibiotics even though my chest was clear, the antibiotics cleared it up in days.

Whooping cough?

Actually you say it is worse at night? That sounds more like croup.
Look up the symptoms and see if they fit. Sadly it is viral so it's simply treatment to help you breathe more easily such as steroids and rest.
But adult croup is rare, so may not be. Although as it is rare drs may not have considered it as a possibility

Oh my god I've just got rid of a cough end of last week!

And last couple of days I've got a bloody cough again! Especially today! And I feel rubbish too
And yes I feel like I want to be sick with it and wee myself too!
I absolutely hate it

I had a chest infection for three months a few years ago. I was running out of antibiotics to try and was so exhausted that I was in tears. Long story short, blood test revealed my vitamin D level was almost non-existent. Six weeks on a high dose and I recovered.

Codeine is an anti-tussive. I believe the advice is to avoid though for productive coughs as the phlegm needs to come up. Huge caveat that I have no medical background, but for times when the cough is just keeping you up all night and you just want to sleep, I’ve found taking some over the counter paracetamol with codeine far more effective than cough medicine. But obviously you’re not supposed to take codeine for any more than 3 days and it sounds like going back to the GP to rule out anything else, chest x-ray, antibiotics etc.. I’ve also in the past been prescribed a chest inhaler to ease the chest tightness which has been very helpful.

This isn't a cure, but might help at nighttime:

https://www.wsh.nhs.uk/CMS-Documents/Patient-leaflets/Physiotherapy/6386-1-Stop-Cough-Technique.pdf

I don't get it when people talk about the phlegm coming up

When I've got a cough with phlegm it never comes out of the my mouth

Is that what happens with other people?