What is an 'episode of coughing'?

[Rae36]

Ds age 8 had a cough last week, had coughing fits several times in the day. Duly went for a test and was negative.

Ds age 12 coughed this morning in the car on the way to the park. Literally went "cough cough" and that was it. Didn't cough at all as we walked round the park and had tea and a cake in the cafe. Coughed again in the car on the way home about 11.30am. Same thing, 2 coughs and that was it. Haven't heard him since and he's been in the same room as me pretty much the whole time.

Scottish Government advice is 3 episodes of coughing in 24 hours needs a test. Does ds's two coughs count as an episode? Or do you have to cough a bit more than that.

I think 2 isolated coughs are not an episode. Dh disagrees.

He's now on hold to NHS to get advice on if these coughs count. Been on hold for 40 minutes now.

It's going to be a long winter.

I was listening to Jason Leitch on the radio the other day. He said a temp needed to be a “proper” temp ie not just 37.8 for a couple of minutes and fine the rest of the time. He said the same for a cough, it should be a “decent” cough not just a couple of random throat clearing type of coughs you get when you have a cold.
DD is the same sore throat, no temp but a couple of random coughs over the last 24hra that make me prick up my ears but doesn’t seem to be coming to anything.

a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

I classed my kids as having a continuous cough if they coughed regularly and often (several times an hour) and a cough that wakes them during the night. Both coughed more than normal with colds because both have asthma.

Crikey a coughing fit lasting 20 minutes? Mine barked like dogs at times, if one coughed continuously for 20 mins it would be nebuliser time.

My post is nhs advice.

I think the govt need to write clearer advice. Too many ppl are testing when the cough is not continuous. Like a previous poster said a one off temperature is not a reason to test. It needs to be continuous and over 38.0 to be a fever. It does not matter if your temperature is normally 36.7 a fever is 38.0 and above.

The amount of children with a cold getting tested is ridiculous. And schools need better training.

@PaddyF0dder

I would ignore the “3 episodes of coughing” guidance.

Think of it as ”coughing more than usual”.

Why would you ignore the NHS guidance, it's quite clear.

Everyone making up their own rules means others can't get tests

www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/msgs/COVID-19-Paeds-FAQ-03-04.pdf

@Torvean32

But the NHS advice to get a test if you have a temp of 37.8

Plus reposting Govt guidance is no help when the OP already quoted that, but wants opinions in what constitutes an episode

@Rae36

I think your DH is being over reactive!! It needs to be a proper coughing session, not just a ' cough cough'

I have started coughing when I put a mask on. I'm not sure if it's the filters or maybe the stuff I've been washing them in. Today I've rinsed them all again, hoping that fixes it because it's embarrassing (as well as annoying). It may have just been something in your car (dust if it's anything like mine 🤣)

@lifesalongsong

I’d ignore it because it’s NOT clear. “Episode of coughing” is meaningless.

I know you probably won’t believe me (anyone on the internet can claim to be anything) but I’m a doctor myself. I have a few friends working public health in Scotland. The “episodes of coughing” advice is not popular amongst them, and their view is that “coughing more than usual” would be cheaper advice.

@OverTheRubicon - our school advice is not to keep them off for a cold - that’s what I’ve been told - as I said she doesn’t have a persistent or continuous cough. She doesn’t meet criteria for a test anyway presumably. I’ll ask at the school tomorrow though - but what are you suggesting - that I keep her off until she’s no longer stuffed up?

DD is also not coughing at night when asleep in bed, and I’ll check her temp in the morning again.

Before covid, you could have easily said whether your child "had a cough" or not.

If your child coughed twice in a day in February, you wouldn't have said/thought "little Jimmy has a cough".

My daughter has a cough at the moment. Of course she hasn't had a 20 minute long coughing fit , but she's coughed intermittently over the last couple of days. She "has a cough".

I agree that the rules are vague.
My threshold is annoying -- if the frequency of the cough has hit the phase then it's "persistent" or "continuous". The rest is just normal human body responses.

I was wondering this too, OP.

An “episode of coughing” is so vague, I have no idea how much coughing there has to be for it to count as an “episode.” I’m presuming it’s more than 2 coughs but it’s really not made clear in the government guidance.

pjmask Another vote of thanks to your GP for that! I've been wondering the same, and am surprised it hasn't been clarified given the number of tests being used for "a child with a cold presenting with a cough that needs a test to go back to school..."

A 20min period of coughing, 3 times in 24hours is definitely continuous, and, I would think, pretty rare with a cold. But "coughing three times in 24 hours" is standard for most people in good health, I'd have thought? (Bit of dust, gin goes down the wrong way or something...). We got DS tested with a cough that was a standard cold cough (phlegmy for 30seconds or so at a time...then a break). My highly technical (and presumably wrong) interpretation of an episode was if it was appropriate to say "oh dear, that's a nasty cough you've got" but stop fucking coughing or you'll have to get tested . But having the NHS tell us lay people what an episode is would really, really help lots of people, I think!

@NotAnActualSheep

pjmask Another vote of thanks to your GP for that! I've been wondering the same, and am surprised it hasn't been clarified given the number of tests being used for "a child with a cold presenting with a cough that needs a test to go back to school..."

A 20min period of coughing, 3 times in 24hours is definitely continuous, and, I would think, pretty rare with a cold. But "coughing three times in 24 hours" is standard for most people in good health, I'd have thought? (Bit of dust, gin goes down the wrong way or something...). We got DS tested with a cough that was a standard cold cough (phlegmy for 30seconds or so at a time...then a break). My highly technical (and presumably wrong) interpretation of an episode was if it was appropriate to say "oh dear, that's a nasty cough you've got" but stop fucking coughing or you'll have to get tested . But having the NHS tell us lay people what an episode is would really, really help lots of people, I think!

Obviously if it's a cough for a bit of dust or a drink going down the wrong way no one is counting that!

And sorry but if someone coughed for 20 minutes solid you'd be thinking about calling an ambulance...

Surely no one counts a cough if it’s caused by something going down the wrong way?

I had a coughing fit the other day when some of my cup of tea went down the wrong way, and it didn’t occur to me for a second that it should be considered as counting towards 3 episodes of coughing a day.

I’ve been wondering about this all day. An “episode” must be more than just a single cough otherwise they would say “three coughs”. So... on that basis no I don’t have one.

But it’s such a crap word to use for such an important definition!!! Oxford online:
an event or a group of events occurring as part of a sequence; an incident or period considered in isolation.

So EITHER part of a coughing sequence OR an isolated coughing incident. I mean that surely couldn’t be much harder to fathom, ffs.

I wondered this, my son seems to start coughing at this time of year and then keep getting a cough on and off til March 😩 it’s shit

Really? I often get a cough about a week or so after any virus thing that makes me cough pretty much continuously for up to an hour or so, then a couple of hours respite, then again. And when I'm not coughing, I kind of want to but don't want to disgust people too much. It's really annoying, but I never thought anything of it, because I "had a cough" (rather than a cold). When I have been to the GP because I coughed so much I strained a muscle in my ribs that cocodamol didn't touch she wasn't concerned by the amount of coughing...only that it had gone on for 6 weeks. (Handy hint...if you have a long lasting cough, try to get referred for a chest X-ray...mine disappeared utterly the following day. It was like magic). I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again this year...I'll be a leper.

I've been wondering the same, I've been coughing once or twice probably every half an hour today but other than that I'm completely fine, I've had a cold for a few days so think it's just the tail end of that. I'm reluctant to get a test as it doesn't really feel continuous! It's dry though so not just clearing my throat kind of cough...wish the advice was clearer

@OverTheRubicon this is not what’s being recommended to parents. Cold symptoms - fine. My daughter has had a stinking cold all week and has been in nursery - as have I and I have been in work. I’ve always worked through a cold and now I don’t feel any differently, particularly since I called ahead to check the nursery would take her and they said ‘yes fine they all have it!’
If it’s no temp and not a continuous cough (which in my mind is a cough which you can’t stop for a while and keeps you up at night ) then life goes on surely.

It's all so confusing.I had coronavirus in March.No temp.Barely a cough.Really wheezy and aching body.Listening to my daughter upstairs doing the odd cough and thinking if I send her into school like that tomorrow they will send her straight home after she coughs once in form.

@carolebaskinfedhimtothetigers

I've been wondering the same, I've been coughing once or twice probably every half an hour today but other than that I'm completely fine, I've had a cold for a few days so think it's just the tail end of that. I'm reluctant to get a test as it doesn't really feel continuous! It's dry though so not just clearing my throat kind of cough...wish the advice was clearer

You have a cough.

@Chrispackhamspoodle

It's all so confusing.I had coronavirus in March.No temp.Barely a cough.Really wheezy and aching body.Listening to my daughter upstairs doing the odd cough and thinking if I send her into school like that tomorrow they will send her straight home after she coughs once in form.

If you know she has a cough and will be sent home, why would you send her in the school to infect everyone else first

It's so confusing.
I am a teacher.
I had a sore throat and now have a blocked/runny nose. No cough or temp. It's just a cold. I don't need a test according to NHS.
Not sure if I should go in or not.
Normally I would but it's different at the moment.
If I don't go in, I will inconvenience a lot of people.
If I do go in, I could pass on my cold and similarly inconvenience a lot of people.