Can anyone reassure me about my cough? I am being a panic pants

[WideWebWitch]

I am 40 (just) and have had a cough for about a week and a half. Dd had one too but hers has gone. I don't smoke but used to, I stopped 3.5 years ago (ultra lows for the past 10 years of my smoking from 27-37). Some of my coughing fits have been horrendous and have gone on for a couple of minutes, it's horrible. I haven't taken anything, taking the view that if I need to cough, I need to cough. I don't sound raspy otherwise but I can hear a catch at the base of my throat when I breathe in deeply. I am slightly breathless if I exert myself but I am v unfit atm and I'm not breathless at other times.

Today I got myself in a tizz, decided it could be lung cancer and got tearful in the hairdressers thinking of my children growing up without me etc etc. I am pre menstrual so especially emotional atm but would appreciate any words of wisdom. I will make a doctors appointment on Monday but in the meantime...TIA to anyone who can help calm me. (I'd rather not hear any stories of people who died of lung cancer at 35 though, if you don't mind)

And I do realise it's impossible to diagnose me over the internet, I'm not asking for miracles. Thank you.

if you aren't hard of breath I doubt there's anything obstructing your lungs so would totally rule out lung cancer personally

Is it a productive cough? Are you bringing up anything .. or is it just a tickly dry cough?

could it just be the winter weather given you a nasty cough? me and my 2boys have got hacking coughs at the moment which really hurt youre throat. do check with your doc though www if youre worried

oh this cough going round is horrible (both my kids sound like they have smoked 60 a day since birth)

it may be that you've become a bit wheezy - it's definitely a side effect of this nasty chesty virus - if that's the case, all you'll need is an inhaler for a few days.

take it easy and look after yourself!

hope the GP is helpful - have you got some over the counter stuff?

Oh thank you guys. Twiglett it was a dry ish cough and now sounds a bit more as if there's phlegm (sorry!) so not as dry as it was. Yes, wheezy is the right word. I don't even want to go to the doctors really, I just want it to GO so I can stop panicking. I can't half get myself in a state sometimes about this kind of thing.

I thnk you should get an expectorant .. to help bring out anything

and also have a few hot toddies to soothe your poor throat

there's the

lemon juice, tsp honey, 4 cloves, hot water, I'm a good girl version

or the dark spirit, lemon juice, tsp honey, 4 cloves, hot water, fuck it I feel really ill version

taker your pick

I've got a recurring cough which the doctor said was due to the fact I used to smoke - seemd to be saying "tough"! Basically said I have to put up with it I was then given a puffer and told I was asmatic (I know it's spelt wrong which I am not. On top of this recurring tickle I have the other one going round - a mix of tickles and phlegm. I had a coughing fit in the car today and was nearly sick, then I sneezed and my eyes began watering and nose began running and didn't have a tissue - vile!. Btw I'm 41 .

Thanks pinotmum. Twig I think I will have an early night with a remedy of some sort.

I am paranoid about lung cancer too! I gave up ten years ago but smoked a lot for about 15 years. I think when you have children you become aware of your own mortality and can get freaked quite easily - especially as we are getting older.
Lung cancer has other symptoms too including weight loss, fatigue and night sweats so if your not getting any of them then don't worry!

Hi www, this sounds like a cough I had last year which I ignored for a couple of weeks, then I went to France in December to the Paris region. It was so cold outside that I couldn't get warm no matter how many clothes I piled on and by the time I got back to England I had the full shivers and shakes and the cough had become hacking and wheezing. Had to get anti-b's to sort it out from the doctors.

Thank you. Batters, I haven't coughed much today but was very wheezy all night, dh even noticed it while we were sitting on the sofa. Cam, if it hasn't gone by Tuesday I will go to the doctors, maybe it won't go without anti biotics. Thanks mummymania, I don't have any other symptoms (weight loss would be nice har de har!) but it's nice to know I'm not the only one who gets in a tiz about this. Thank god I don't smoke any more. Thank you all.

Just to add that my boss, a life-long non-smoker, and all her closest team, have been barking like elephant seals for the past THREE WEEKS www. Everyone is giving them a wide berth here, I can tell you. It really is a revolting virus and from what you say, that is what you have.
Such fabulous news you have stayed off the ciggies though, very well done for that
And thanks for sharing batters
WWW if it is any consolation I will happily own up to being very, very convinced I had ovarian cancer earlier this year . My convictions made me almost paranoid and not very easy to live with, so I sympathise totally on the tizz/tearfulness front. XXX

WWW, a week and a half of coughing is absolutely NO reason to be worrying.. a perfectly 'normal' cough can be troublesome for weeks at this time of year.

Hope you feel better soon. Stop torturing yourself with bleak scenarios.. .. it's easy to do.. but it's possible to STOP doing if you try very hard!

Ahh Marina and Batters, thank you SO much for asking. I reckon I'm only coughing a few times a day now so have persuaded myself it's very likely a vile bug and there's no need for any panic. My breathing is a lot better and I walked quite a way while shopping yesterday without any trouble.

I think at the weekend I was remembering my dad saying darkly "well, if you know anyone who gets 4 or more colds a year..." when he was dying of lung cancer, preceeded by lots of colds which the dr had told him were inevitable, as he was a teacher. And obv, I was counting up the colds I've had this year, blah blah. I actually think a) it's less than 4 AND b) he was making up 4 as a number anyway so it's irrelevant! I also remembered him saying "when you're panicking you're supposed to breathe deeply but what are you supposed to do when you can't breathe?" So being breathless scared me a lot.

Marina, sorry to hear that, it's such a horrible feeling isn't it? But I am glad I'm not the only one iyswim. What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer btw? (NO, I'M JOKING, don't tell me! Or I'll have that too!) lol at barking like seals, that was me, people at work stopped to stare when I coughed. But hey, I have all this week off, bliss

Thank you too SHSOB

I had a cough for 6 months last winter

was a complete PITA

being wheezy is awful - it's really frightening when can't get enough air in, so I don't think you're unusual in worrying about that.

glad you are feeling better - this cough virus is v nasty!