Chest Infection: new circle of hell. Advice please

[wawabear]

Hi all

I have been suffering with a horrid cough/cold for 3 weeks. I also have asthma and 15 weeks pregnant.

The doctor upped my inhalers as she was initially reluctant to use steroids and antibiotics. However 3 weeks later and I am vomiting when I cough and generally very run down, so she has prescribed a 3 day course of steroids and 500mg amoxycilin.

Just to add another nasty little twist I have either pulled a muscle or cracked a rib due to coughing.

Although the doctor said there is no risk with taking a short course of steroids I am still a bit worried. Has anyone else had any experience of this?

Sorry for the rant, I am feeling very very sorry for myself!

Hi there, we're pretty much in the same boat. I started with a dry cough and some pretty bad breathlessness 6 or so weeks ago, doctor sent me to the hospital and (after many tests and a chest x-ray) was given a 5 day course of steroids and a ventolin inhaler. Had childhood asthma but thought I'd grown out of if it, the doctors concluded that I hadn't and that I had a very bad respiratory virus to boot.

Two weeks later I was still coughing, only cough had changed and I felt worse. Went back to doctors who diagnosed a chest infection and gave me a course of Cefalexin as I am allergic to Penicillin. Two weeks after, was STILL coughing and breathless, went back to find that I STILL have a chest infection and am now on a course of clarithromycin, which possibly makes me feel worse that the chest infection. I will say that I've been on the clarithromycin since Saturday and while it does make me feel like absolute shite, I can tell that it is working on the chest infection.

Like you I've been so very worried about taking all this medication while pregnant, it really upsets me. I feel like I'm stuck between needing to take meds to make me well and taking something that could be harming baby. Although logically I know that the chances of anything harming baby are minimal and the best possible thing for baby is to have a healthy mummy.

It is awful to be unwell when pregnant, hope you start to feel better soon

Oh dear that sounds exactly like what I have had. It started off as dry tickly cough and has changed into a very loose chesty cough.

The pulled muscle in my side is so ridiculously painful, I feel like I am being torn apart when I cough or sneeze.

I took my first dose earlier today and it's probably a coincidence but I have managed so far to have dinner and not be sick, so fingers crossed I'm on the mend!

I hope you start to feel better soon

My whole family, living in a completely different area of the country, have had it also. It progressed into a nasty chest infection for my dad too - what is this evil virus??

The antibiotics also made me feel horribly sick. I really struggled to eat enough to be able to take the next dose although today I might have hit on something. I went out and got some of those little probiotic drinks and I've taken one directly after each antibiotic. While they are ridiculously full of sugar, they actually seem to have made a difference! I have barely felt nauseous today, which is a massive improvement on the last few days.

At this rate, I may well get better

I have to take steroids until am 12 weeks pregnant due to reproductive immune issues - so they are prescribed by my fertility consultant for pregnancy. The respiratory consultant was also happy for me to take them.

Hope you feel better soon.