COVID and Asthma cough

[Jewel1968]

Tested positive about 3 weeks ago. Symptoms weren't too bad. Fairly typical but with strange chest pain. Chest pain got very bad in second week and persistent cough developed. Doc thinks pain is muscle strain from cough and that cough is asthma. Doc put me on oral steroids (almost finished course) and my normal asthma meds are doubled. Still have cough which is frustrating and surprisingly debilitating. I am doing sod all and if I do anything it gets worse.

Any tips or any advice on going back to doc. I don't think there is anything more he can do? There is no sign of infection. Pain has improved but in some ways cough is worse. Doc said he didn't think it was COVID cough. I dunno I am confused and fed up.

My son (6) had viral induced wheeze (asthma) - pretty scary when v young. Seemed to grow out of it. When he had covid, his main symptoms had been headache, fatigue and tearfulness, hardly any coughing. Bizarrely, after the infectious period, he developed a cough that got really bad, coughing to the point of vomiting on a number of occasions. He now has a steroid inhaler and the dose was increased again. It took a couple of months for the cough to finally go, but it eventually did.

Thanks. Am reading on Google it can go on for months. It's very restrictive but suspect there is nothing I can do. I normally swim which I am sure helps my lung capacity but with covid I have not swum for a month and am wondering if that is a contributing factor. So frustrating.

If you do decide to swim, go easy. Exercise is a massive trigger for me (long covid). I was completely oblivious to that beforehand, but apparently it's quite common.

Chest pain requires investigation post Covid, it should not be assumed that it is just asthma or cough related. In my husband's case chest pain and breathlessness post Covid was blood clots in his lungs. A colleague had pericarditis causing their chest pain. Do not exercise until you have had this investigated. The minimum would be a chest x-ray and an ECG if you still have chest pain.

www.pslhub.org/learn/coronavirus-covid19/273_blogs/understanding-covid-19-as-a-vascular-disease-and-its-implications-for-exercise-r8029/

Really interesting link. @Choconuttolatai can't imagine getting back in the pool just yet. Part of me is desperate but the other part can't even imaging walking to the pool nevermind swimming. That's probably telling me something.

Chest pain is definitely less but cough is very persistent. Thanks for all your insights.

Update. Have had x-ray and it is clear. I still have cough.

I thought I was improving last weekend. The cough was reduced and chest pain virtually gone. But this week chest pain bad and cough persistent.

I have doc appointment next week. Is there anything I should ask?

I am also very tired and have not returned to swimming. I just can't imagine doing it.

Any tips very welcome.

A&E for chest pain. You need an ECG and bloods, the GP would send you anyway as would 111.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/chest-pain/

I have had chest pain for weeks. Doc knows and has listened to chest. He says it from excessive coughing which he says is post covid cough. He says it's muscular as in intercostal muscles. It does feel muscular

Interesting! I am seven weeks post Covid, probably heading towards long Covid. I have had asthma for the last twenty years, I manage well with a steroid inhaler.
However, since Covid I cough a lot, get wheezy on occasions, sometimes short of breath. Went to see GP today, he listened to my chest, it’s clear, so he won’t send me for a chest X-ray.
Apparently, it’s a matter of time and just have to rest and get better!

I had the same issue. Gp gave me a course of antibiotics then a very high course of oral steriods as well as my fostair inhaler, montelukast and spiriva. I caught covid start of October and my chest has just settled

@Furcoatandnoknickerz doc said same to me but did send me for x-ray. I read a lancet paper on post covid cough. They don't seem to know why it happens but it's not a normal cough. It's the chest pain that's driving me crazy. Intercostal muscle strain according to doc. Am taking over the counter painkillers today and it's helpful. I have a chronic pain condition so I know a fair bit about pain relief but this is getting me down. I think I will ask doc if physio might help or muscle relaxant. I am so tired too. Difficult to work but my boss is understanding and knows I am not in a great place. I worry about when his understanding might wane.

One of the things the Lancet paper mentioned was codeine being effective at reducing coughing but obviously it's addictive and I hate the effect it has on me but am taking Solpadine which I do think is helpful but I hate it. I feel slightly sick with it.

I had a horrendous cough after a viral illness about ten years ago now, struggled to function all summer (still went to work every day like an idiot, why on earth I didn't take a week off I don't know, I was really struggling).

What inhalers are you on? Changing from becotide to one with a long acting reliever was successful for me, and my asthma has been significantly better ever since.

Keep at your GP, if your practice has an asthma nurse ask to see them.

Asthma UK have a very good helpline as well.