Why do I ALWAYS get bronchitis after a cold?

[Rhine]

For the past few years every time I've come down with a cold it's gone on my chest and has left me with a horrendous cough that can last up to weeks at a time, I usually get about two or three colds a year but I had a chest cold a few weeks ago and I'd just got over it when a stupid twat of a work colleague turned up last week with a steaming cold, sneezing and spluttering all over the place, and guess what I've got bronchitis again!

So tired today because I've been up all night coughing my guts up and my chest muscle now ache like mad, am taking benilyn for it but it's such a pain in the arse. It's every time I get a cold! I don't smoke and I'm don't have asthma so I don't understand why this keeps happening. I'm otherwise healthy but there is a history of chest problems on my dad's side of the family, and like me his colds always turn into terrible chesty cough.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I get this too. I've just been told it's a post viral cough. It usually takes about a month to go away, but it's pretty annoying!

Also there is a thing called post nasal drip.

With the best will in the world, you can't possibly get rid of all your infected mucus (snot - sorry queasy people) by blowing your nose, even if it's every five minutes.

Most of your sniffs get swallowed with your excess saliva but some will end up in your bronchial tubes. It's nice and warm and moist in there. Mmmmm, yummy for viruses and bacteria.

And, boom, there is your post viral cough. Your immune system working hard to get rid of it.

DISCLAIMER: Not a dr, an anatomy & physiologist, but that's how I understand it.

I am still a bit sniffly so the post nasal drip is probably the most logical explanation thinking about it. The cough is always worse at night, probably because I'm lying down. I think tonight I might prop my pillows up and see if that makes a difference.

The same thing happens to me. I don't really have any magic answers except that the past few times I have tried to rest and drink lots of fluids etc. I used to try to soldier on and that definitely didn't help.

People swear by echinacea and fish oil. I take them but it doesn't do much for me.

Definitely raise your pillows. I pretty much sleep sitting up when I have a cold.

I am not in the UK but here in Aus, you can buy ventolin over the counter. I'm not asthmatic but that helps me a lot too.

i use a preventative inhaler and that works. i had a bad chest infection then after that every tiny cold seemed to turn into a wheezy cough. maybe not the same thing?

Ooh that sounds interesting. What's in a preventative inhaler?

I get post nasal drip. I cough loads at night & it drives me mad. One of the things that helps the most is nasal washouts. You can buy a squeezy bottle or neti pot & you basically fill it with warm saline & squirt it up one nostril, the saline & lots of mucus-y gunk exits your nose via the other nostril!
Do this every night & you'll see an improvement in your cough. I promise!

This is what I use.