When is a cough just a cough and when/why/how does it turn into something else?

[zipzap]

Just wondering really... have got a bad cough (again) and realised that by this afternoon lungs hurt and getting short of breath after very little exertion. And whilst everybody knows what a cough is, I realise that I don't know much about cough's that don't go away and I don't research them in the same way that I would if I had some other sort of recurring bug - and just having had a look now, it all seems to be info about little coughs that go after a week a two (at which point mine are just about getting going).

I often get the sort of coughs that last for months. Usually try to avoid going to the doctor as I don't really like taking tablets and don't want to take antibiotics unless I really have to. And I don't want to pick up all the other lurgies that seem to be lurking at the surgery waiting to pounce.

Sometimes the cough's not too bad, just annoying and I don't do anything and they go eventually.

Occasionally they get really bad (point at which I have to curl up on the floor to cough is usually a sign that it's time to do something).

At which point I go to the doctor. Sometimes I get told that it's turning into pneumonia or bronchitis. Or that it's just a nasty cough or a mild cough and nothing to worry about. Or that there's nothing to hear at all (although I have subsequently heard that this can be a sign of whooping cough). The lung pain generated and force of the cough doesn't seem to match up with the severity of the diagnois.

I was just trying to figure out what makes a cough go from being 'just a cough' into something worse, and how can I tell a) what it has turned into and b) whether or not I need to do something about it or just tough it out and hope it will get better on its own.

Honey, hot drinks, brandy or whisky gargles are the things that seem to work best, occasionally a cough mixture will help but they never have one that's for 'coughing your guts up'

Is there anything else that's a good cough remedy? or at least a soother so I can get to sleep/not keep dh awake all hours of the night?

Sorry, realise this has turned into a rather long post. thanks for any insights into the weird world of the cough!

anyone?

I'd be interested too - my coughs have variously beeen diagnosed as asthma (after 2 seconds of waving a stethescope near my chest), bronchitis, "just a cough, come back if it gets worse" and the associated breathlessness as suspected pneumonia/blood clot. I never seem to have a bacterial infection, they seem to be very long viral ones, so get told "go home and rest" which isn't the most helpful of advice when you have DC and a house to run - don't know how I'd cope if I was holding down a full time job as well.....

As parent of a child who has lung damage from repeated chest infections and severe pneumonia, I'd say:

A "productive" cough where you are able to clear the secretions from your lungs is good.

Any loud rattling in the chest from blocked tubes is not good.

A chest infection coupled with a temperature is not good and needs a doctor.

Breathing difficulties (skin being drawn in between ribs in in-breath) is very bad and needs urgent doctor's attention.

Blue lips also very bad - get to hosp!.

As far as cough mixtures go - I don't believe in them: you NEED to cough to get the bacterial mucus from your lungs: go and sleep on the sofa if it's keeping dh awake. Take paracetamol to control any pain, and take care of yourself.

btw I am NOT a doctor so don't take my advice!

Hi, I have had a cough since beginning of December and got some good advice from MNers recently after being slightly fobbed off by my GP. I went back to her after a week (spurred on by these guys here) and turned out I did have an infection and was put on Antibiotics and an inhaler. I am currently on the second round of antibiotics as the first lot didn't quite clear it.

Basically what meltedmarsbars is saying is right. I had a productive cough and was bring up green and brown phlegm. Lots of rattling that you can hear and FEEL, a temp (although only slightly raised), also had a lot of trouble breathing properly particularly after coughing - didn't have blue lips thankfully!

Don't let it get worse if you have these symptoms, you can do yourself a lot of damage and make yourself susceptible to infection.

Thanks for this mmb and jm - think I have got to the point where I need to go to the doc as dh is getting v fed up. Luckily ds1 and 2 can both sleep right through it even if I am in the same room as them - so at least it is helping to train them to sleep well . And I am definitely a subscriber to the 'better out than in' school of thought that I want to get the mucus out of my chest instead of having it festering there.

I just get fed up of going to doc, especially when they say things like 'why are you wasting my time bothering with this cough, it will clear itself in a few days (despite not having done so for five weeks) and then finally going back a couple of weeks later only to be told off for not going in soon enough and ending up getting the tablets for pneumonia and being told if it gets any worse to go straight to a&e (was so out of it though, never did figure out if I had actually got pneumonia or was just in the process of almost getting it).

JM - hope your cough is already gone or goes very shortly

mmb - sorry to hear about your child - hope they are currently ok

Docs are never wrong! - "why are you wasting my time" - 9 times out of 10 it WILL get better, but they keep the "you should have got here sooner" for the last one of of the 10 who didn't waste the GP's time in the first place , its usually reserved for children lying with severe breathing difficulties in a hosp bed ime!

Zipzap - don't worry, that's just a part of a bigger picture of living with a disabled child!

Get well soon!

Just to say - I had years and years where I had bronchitis for months at a time. was bloody horrible.

Docs never gave me AB's or tablets, but they did give me an inhaler which helped a lot.

Although, if you have a productive cough which is producing greeny mucous, then you'll need antibiotics.

Have you tried cutting out dairy for a few days?

Thanks all.

PureAs - how did you know you had bronchitis as opposed to a nasty cough? Am just trying to figure out where the boundaries are between the different varieties of cough so to speak!

And as for cutting out dairy - I'll give it a go, but I don't eat much dairy as it is, I loathe milk with a passion, don't have tea or coffee let alone with milk in and occasionally have cheese when I remember I need some for calcium. I even eat my chocolate dark so no glass and a half in a bar to give up )

For me it was a dry cough (but can have mucus) which felt like it was ripping my throat apart. Once it's established you can really feel it in the bronchus/bronchi and it just hurts.

I generally didn't feel unwell otherwise, but cold-like symptoms are common.

I used to have to lie on the sofa and hold onto my ribs (my Mum broke one of hers once during a bronchitis episode!)

Check out this article and it explains it a bit better than me.
Feel like I'm getting another bout of it now but I bloody hope not!