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Cough and cold for 4 weeks

2 replies

Charus19 · 14/12/2024 07:10

Hi all, my daughter is 14 and came down with a very snotty nose and sore throat 4 weeks ago. We were back and forth to the pharmacy and the GP (saw a nurse practitioner who was very disinterested ). After 2 weeks of it I took her to urgent care after the pharmacist who looked at her throat said it almost looked "pitted"; very sore and not usual for tonsillitis. Urgent care said probably strep throat, gave her antibiotics and a throat spray. The antibiotics helped the throat pain, but she still had a cough, which got worse. And for some reason her nose is STILL blocked. Went back to our Drs, saw the terrible nurse again who barely examined her and said it'll be a virus and itll last up to 6 weeks..
Two days later we ended up seeing an out of hours GP who did a throat swab (since come back clear): and who prescribed a 5 day course of steroids. The steroids started to take away the congestion in her nose, but cough still there.

Last weekend she said she felt breathless (this is over 3 weeks of symptoms), so I took her to urgent care, who sent us straight to a&e. They did a chest X-ray , listened to be chest and said all clear on both, but here's some co-amoxiclav to hopefully shift the last of it...

Well she's been on the amoxiclav for the last 7 days and although the cough hasn't got worse, it's not better either. Her nose is STILL congested. I hear her cough all night. She's so vague when I ask where she thinks it's coming from.. she initially said she thinks it's the congestion running down the back of her throat and tickling her throat but last night said it feels 'blocked' there. I'm guessing she means phlegm / catarrh. I've tried so many things to help shift it: nose spray, cough sweets, cough syrup (bronchostop), lemon and Manuka honey, steam, propped up on pillows at night, antihistamines.. nothing has helped apart from the steroid tablets clearing the nose for a few days. She's not had a fever through this.

Anyone experiencing the same ? It's been 4 weeks now. Obviously I can't help but worry.. even though she seems ok in herself. As a point of interest her little brother (3) had walking / atypical pneumonia at the end of October.. he was in hospital for almost 2 weeks as he also got RSV when in there. It was absolutely horrific and I am now terrified of him getting poorly again. One of the drs we saw in a&e said she may have caught what he had, but then her chest X-ray was all clear.

Her ongoing symptoms are congestion in her nose and this cough which does sound like she has to clear stuff in there. I'm worried now she's off the antibiotics she's suddenly going to deteriorate!

thanks for reading this far. Any suggestions / similar experiences appreciated!

OP posts:
mycatsanutter · 14/12/2024 07:13

My mum and my friend both had very similar symptoms my mum had one course of antibiotics, my friend has several and a chest x ray and a nasal spray ,it was the nasal spray that really seemed to help her . They both had it for about 3 months unfortunately.

Globetrote · 14/12/2024 07:23

If she has a post nasal drip then that will definitely contribute to coughing - I had similar years ago for 3 months. I was back and forth to the GP and kept being treated for the cough, when on the last visit as the GP was looking at my throat she saw a large amount of mucous start to come down from my nose at the back of my throat (or something like that). I was given antibiotics for the nasal drip and both that and the cough cleared up within a week.

Another though for the coughing is could it be an asthma cough?

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