Never ending nasty cough and general snottiness

[macaco]

I've had a variety of cold/sore throat/tickly cough/wet raspy cough for about a month now. It moves around and changes form but never goes away. At the moment it's a blocked nose and a really phlemy cough that hurts my chest when I cough. Went to the pharmacy yesterday and they said I couldn't take anything. (I'm 20 weeks) Going to the doctor tomorrow, do you think she'll give me anything. Can't sleep at night for bunged up nose and coughing.

Hi

Sorry you're feeling rough - I've been through the same for the past 4 weeks and its really frustrating. I believe there are some antibiotics that are safe to take during pregnancy - esp if you're coughing up nasty stuff (do ask your doc about that). I was prescribed Erythromycin, which dried up the worst of the infection, but I'm still coughing. Steam inhalation does ease the chesty pain when you cough, though.

Take care

lightwind

Another, slightly off beat, suggestion:

Try a glass of hot milk with half a tea-spoon of plain turmeric (yes, that's the yellow powdery stuff that goes in curries - you can find it in the spice section of any supermarket or any Asian/Chinese grocery store), and a spoon full of sugar (at least twice a day, if you can bear it). After a murderous 4 weeks with similar symptoms to yours I've recently started taking this - its a traditional Indian remedy - doesn't taste that great, but turmeric has natural antiseptic qualities that really work. I feel a lot better now. (If you google turmeric and hot milk and you'll see, its an age old remedy).

If the thought of a whole mug of it is too daunting maybe you could start with a less than a quarter tsp of turmeric in half a mug of warm milk + sugar - just swig it down in one gulp - it really does work. (Heaven help me, I've even started enjoying the taste, though didn't like it at all to start off with!)

My husband, who's a doc himself, has just come down with a similar bug in the past couple of days. He's been taking the turmeric milk thing and says its really helping him.

doc gave me an inhaler for cold symptoms when I was about 8 months pregnant. I was a bit but it did help my breathing.

I don't know how you feel about taking supplements to boost you up a bit? The pregnacare ones are really good through from memory they're very expensive.

Also, you know you;re fine to use vaporub don;t you. And my midwife recommended these cough sweets and they were really good. Most supermarkets stock them I think - sainsburys definitely.

and may I add, poor you!

Hi hope you are on the road to recovery now. Have you tried tea tree oil? in bath or inhale it. Also Neals Yard Remedies. Have just bought a syrup from them made of echinacea and mallow. Very soothing and safe in pregnancy.I have had this thing too for weeks and am at my wits end.

Went to doctor yesterday and she said it's viral, so no antibiotics. She's given me ambroxol (an expectorant) to break up the mucus. I'm having a couple of days off work and trying to shake it off once and for all.