I have a terrible cough and every time I cough I feel like my insides are going to pop out of my fanjo

[horsish]

That's it. It is quite debilitating. I have been under the weather ( cold, sore throat) for a month but in the last three days have developed a debilitating cough that sounds like a chain smoking dog barking.

I have barely slept for three nights and to add insult to injury, despite "clenching" down below when I cough , I feel like my pelvic floor is weakening with each cough and my innards are bulging out my fanjo.

My head and ribs are sore from coughing.

And yes, i am wetting myself!

HELP

No helpful suggestions here really except to do lots of pelvic floor exercises. They might be hard to do while things are weakened by cough, but you should do them when cough has gone. If you are unsure how to do them properly you can be referred to a Women's Health Physio who will show you how to do them properly. I am going through the same thing at the moment, I have a bladder prolapse and have had a cough for 3 weeks, it also feels like everything will fall out when i cough. But things do tend to go back into place once the cough has gone, so don't despair!!!

Don't despair. The cough is making things 100 times worse. Definately get refered to the physio (push your GP for an urgent referal). Feel for you, it's such a hard thing to talk about these days isn't it? The hidden problem that so many people have and could get help with, but never dare to mention. Good luck, a really high percentage of people can get better on exercise alone. If really bad (small percentage) there is surgery that can be done.

Thank you so much. I will def get my slack fanjo looked at when I am better.

In the meantime any idea how i can get rid of cough?

Benylin no help

steam inhalation. Lots of it. works wonders. and you have to sit down with your feet up while you do it

Thanks McKenzie. Do I put anything in the hot water?

Glycerine can be quite good, and suck boiled sweets. That will work best if tickles in your throat set you off. And plenty of sleep (haha - if the kids allow that to happen). And take vitamin C or drink lots of orange or grape juice to help you fight the cough off.

Regarding the leaks - wear pads, tena lady if you can bear to buy some tomoro at the shops. And carry a little pack of wipes so you can clean each time - or you will get nappy rash and potentially a UTI/thrush or something from dampness and germs that shouldnt be sitting there.

Good luck

You can put menthol crystals or vicks or something in teh water. Or I have heard people say honey is good.

Oh, a spoonful of honey is good to coat your throat too. And a vitamin supplement, just noticed you've been ill for weeks and weeks.

Thanks PP. Sadly menthol sweets have not helped and I quite literally can't sleep because I cough at least once every minute so I wake myself up if I do drift off.It's like having a newborn , sleepwise, only worse.

I am almost crying in pain and frustration at what is basically a very minor ailment!

you dont need to put anything in the water for the steam to help although olbas oil can be quite nice or menthol crystals like potpourri suggested. But it's the steam that does the trick. Try to keep your head at about 60 degrees over the bowl so that the steam will go up your nostrils. Hope you get better soon. And Karvona night time cough mixture might be worth a try if you haven't tried it already (or is it Carvona?). It has a mild sedative in it I think. Have you tried propping yourself up on two or three pillows at night?

I was given some really great advice by a gyn physio. I had a violent cough in late pregnancy and my pelvic floor wasn't the only thing to suffer. I ended up cracking a rib from coughing, and then broke my waters coughing. After all this, I was shown a huffing technique for coughing which is a lot less damaging and painful than regular hacking.

Here's an explanation of how to do it. don't be put off that its for lung disease sufferers. It's very very effective and gentle.

swerve how do you do the huffing thing>

sorry for not replying sooner. i had a link, let me see if i can find it again.

basically, take a deep(ish) breath and contract your diaphram hard, breathing out to make a "huff' sound. you may find it easier if you say "huff" when you do so. do this 3 times then rest and breath normally for a few breaths (30 secs / 1 min). do the huffing again, two more times. this will move the mucus up your lungs. Finally cough and you should find the mucus is much easier to move out.

Since coughing is often to get rid of phlegm in your lungs, the goal is to move the phlegm (lord, i had that word!) up your lungs so that when you do cough, it's more productive.

does that make sense? I'll go and look for the link now.

here you go. lungdiseases.about.com/od/generalinformation1/ht/huff_coughing.htm.

so sorry i didn't get back to you sooner.