Home remedies for horrible sore throat/cough/lost voice?

[Elibean]

Have had sharp pain in throat for five days, getting worse, now lost voice, and am having coughing bouts that hurt a lot and have me almost throwing up: help!

I know its a virus - no point in going to the GP, no temperature, no white spots, just pain and redness and increasing amounts of (sorry) mucous.

Am mostly worried about giving it to dd2 6 months, who has a floppy larynx and doesn't do well with upper respiratory tract infections. She has a stinking head cold, am hoping its the same bug in a different place - but not sure bugs work that way

Anything to help cope through weekend with her and 3 yr old very very welcome!

Have you tried the honey and lemon drink? Boiling water with some honey and a squeeze of lemon in it. Not a cure but makes you feel a bit better.

Get well soon!

Add some fresh ginger to the honey and lemon and try to get Manuka honey from a health food shop. That should shorten the length of the virus.

Ooh, thank you - got some Manuka in the larder and hadn't thought of it. And might have some fresh ginger somewhere.

Why do the most painful things always happen at weekend?

I don't know if you can still get it but there used to be this liquid called Sanderson's Throat Specific you could buy from chemists, you put it in warm water and sip it, actresses use it for lost voices. I don't even know if it's still available but you could ask!

Of failing that, the honey and lemon but I like mine with whiskey!

Will ask tomorrow morning at local chemist - rather fancy sipping something for actresses.

You could also try taking 1000mg of chewable vitamin C every hour until you get the runs - that shows you have reached tolerance level, so ease off to 1000mg every few hours or so. Chewable zinc lozenges are also good for upper respiratory tract infections. Also stay away from dairy food as it increases mucus production. I had something like this a few weeks ago and felt like SHIT - I got some spray from the doc that numbed my throat, but other than that there was nothing I could do but sit it out. Hope you feel better soon. BTW if the chemist does not have the Sandersons stuff you CAN still buy it - I just googled it! - so you could try something like a health food shop.

I had something like this too Mrsmalumbas.
To quote my mil'there's a lot of it going round at the moment'
I don't know about you but my sore throat- really sore- lasted for sges and then mutated into a roaring sound in my head....

Sorry you suffered too, both of you - but also relieved to be reminded its 'about' and does eventually go away

I do feel like crap, and totally wimpish with it. I remember a nurse once saying there was nothing more intense than throat pain, which probably isnt' true - but helps me feel less wimpish

Also had forgotten about Vitamin C and zinc (no brain left after six months of sleepless baby), thanks - and thanks for googling: will send dh on hunt tomorrow!

If you are going to use Manuka honey then sip it slowly straight from the spoon - if you put it in hot water it destroys the antibacterial/antiviral property. Use "ordinary honey" for your hot honey and lemon drink but take the Manuka neat! Hope you feel better soon.

thanks, flaming - read your post juts in time, taken manuka from spoon: its very soothing, may finish! the jar overnight

oops, not sure what happened there - mysteriously jumping !!!

and drink lots of water

gargle salt water (I started with a horrendously sore throat yesterday and it's already much better today)

honey sandwiches

warm ribena (have no idea why this helps, psychological no doubt )

and there's a spray at the chemist called Chloraseptic Throat Spray - if it gets really bad, it numbs your throat. Marvellous.

Hello fox

Thanks - am thinking of gargling with aspirin (only thing that helped, other than high dose anti-inflammatories, when I had ulcers all over throat a few months ago) but as can only do that every few hours, salt water would be good in between.

And another thing for dh's list tomorrow...

...drinking water hurts, but will do.

poor you, hope you feel better soon!