I've Had An Upper Respiratory Condition Now For About 5 Weeks That I Can't Shake.....

[global1]

I was just wondering if there is a 'crud' going around that is very persistent. Last night while out at a restaurant we noticed that a lot of people seemed to have the same kind of cough that I've been dealing with. In talking with some friends they indicated that a lot of their co-workers have been dealing with colds and coughs that they can't get rid of and keep on lingering.

Does anyone know what is going around out there and if it has anything to do with the unusal weather conditions we've had this winter and spring?

I've been treating myself. Has anyone seen a MD and what did they do for you.

[Mz Pip]

1. I've had URI's

bronchitis, etc. They take a long time to go away. You probably should see a doctor to make sure it's not bacterial. Anitbiotics can help with those.

[gateley]

3. The one time I had bronchitis the coughing tore up my insides, so hydrocodone cough syrup plus the

antibiotics helped right away.

[gkhouston]

17. Yeah, I've had to resort to the hydrocodone cough syrup a couple of times myself.

It really helped with those, "I'm coughing and I can't stop" attacks. I had an albuterol inhaler for a while, too, which helped make my lungs less twitchy.

[gateley]

21. You sound as though you've been through this more than once -- as most of the people I know have.

I'm just thankful I just had that one bout. I'm sorry you're an "expert".

[gkhouston]

26. I had pneumonia once, and seemed more prone to easily catching other respiratory ick

for 4-5 years after that. I'm hoping not to gain any more "experience" in that area.

[gateley]

27. I was actually surprised when I was diagnosed with it because most people I knew

seemed to get it every year or two.

Makes sense that you might be more susceptible after your pneumonia. Sure hope you don't gain any more experience either!

[gateley]

2. I had something that went into my ears and gave me vertigo and reduced my hearing to almost zero

for over a month. I'd heard from several people (including Randi Rhodes) that they'd had something that lasted 5 or 6 weeks, and I figured I got it.

I went to three doctors and tried three different antibiotics before there was any improvement. The last antibiotic plus a steroid helped me, but I'm still not back to normal and my hearing is still way off (like I have cotton in my ears). It's going on two months!

So there IS something going around, but I'm not sure anybody knows exactly what it is.

Hope you feel better soon!

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I had it for 3 months

Upper respiratory stuff - bronchitis, sinus infection, ear infections, gargle, rinse, repeat . . .

Doctor finally decided it was allergies so I started Claritin. That was 4 weeks ago today and I'm fine now.

[gateley]

22. That's interesting -- I wonder if that's why my ears are still stuffed up. I may Claritin a shot --

Glad to hear you're back to normal!

[gopiscrap]

5. My wife is a grade school teacher

and for about 3-4 weeks now almost every other day at school she loses her voice..can't seem to shake the uri either. Wwe live in Tacoma, WA a wet rainy, cool climate at this time of the year!

[notadmblnd]

6. Allergies?

[yellerpup]

7. I had that last fall.

Took about 6-7 weeks to get over it. It's still going around because my producer has it now for 3 weeks and is just now beginning to feel a bit better. Be good to yourself and get well soon.

[Ilsa]

8. You need to see a doctor, IMO.

You should be prepared for an order for a chest xray, too, IMO.

I can see a condition like a cold or crud dragging on for awhile, but 1/10th of the year (5 out of 52 weeks) is interfering with your life.

If you can afford it, please seek help. If you can't afford it, please look at your options and find a way.
I hope you recover quickly with Spring here.

[kestrel91316]

9. I had the cold from hell in January - it went on for over 3 weeks. And that was WITH me dipping into

my antibiotic stockpile after the first week because of the ghastly laryngitis/bronchitis I developed.

[grasswire]

15. I wish I had an antibiotic stockpile

It's so silly to have a government-physician racket going in this country where a person is held hostage to fees, fees, fees for pills. European countries have much more reasonable attitude.

[kestrel91316]

16. It's one of the perks of owning a veterinary practice. I order antibiotics all the time

from my medical distributor - we vets need and use lots and lots of human pharmaceuticals. Nobody is even allowed to question my purchases, lol.

I did at one point let my physician know that I kept them on hand for bites wounds and bladder infections - he was fine with it.

[Odin2005]

28. Anti-biotics are useless against viruses.

[grasswire]

29. of course they are

Who said anything different?

[grasswire]

30. of course they are

No one has suggested using antibiotics for virus.

[grasswire]

10. with what are you treating yourself?

and is the cough dry, wet, what? coughing anything up? what color is the sputum, if you are coughing it up? do you feel short of breath?

any fever?

A doctor is going to ask you those questions and listen to your chest, first. A doctor is going to know what's "going around" locally.

Your main concern is pneumonia. Be careful.

[global1]

24. Dry Cough. No sputum. Postnasal Drip Is Causing The Cough. No Shortness Of Breath........

I've been giving myself saline nasal lavages to get down into the sinus cavities and dry them out. I've been taking pseudophed but it works only for a short time and the side effect is urinary retention and that is worse than the cough.

I've been taking some Theraflu at night to help me sleep. Wake up in the morning dry and thinking that its gone - but after an hour or two the postnasal drip re-occurs and the coughing starts up again.

This has been going on for about 5 - 6 weeks now. It started with a head cold with watery eyes and dripping nose that lasted two days and then went into this postnasal drip cycle.

When we're out shopping or at a restaurant we hear a lot of people coughing. Many people at work are complaining about the same persistent cough lasting weeks.

Don't know if its this crazy unseasonable weather we're having or what. I just thought I'd ask if people are experiencing this same crud in other parts of the country. I'm in the Chicago area.

[snagglepuss]

11. Get your Vitamin D levels tested. Lungs have their own Vit D receptors as

Vit D is essential for lung health.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/infections-and-autoimmunity/influenza/


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/224821.php

[gateley]

23. They're finding out Vitamin D is essential for a lot of things they never

thought of before. And I think a lot of us are chronically low.

[hedgehog]

12. My dentist commented that he's had a lot of people

come in with toothache thinking they had an infected tooth, but in fact they had sinus infections.

For some reason, sinus infection is the scourge of the Great Lakes.

[MineralMan]

13. In Minnesota, the entire population seems to be coughing

from such a "crud." It does seem to be going around.

[mucifer]

14. humidifiers and hot steamy showers can help the crud also

having someone make slapping motions with cupped hands to your back can move around the phlegm this is used for people in the hospital with pneumonia, but it
can feel good to people who feel phlemy from the chest.

http://www.5min.com/Video/Nurses-Video-Handbook---How-to-Perform-Chest-Percussion-59578874

always best to see a doctor.

[2QT2BSTR8]

18. As odd as it sounds...

I had a similar situation of a nagging chest cough going on for the greater part of 6 months that I could not shake. I had a friend recommend I go see a gastroenterologist. Yeah I know that sounds bizarre, but hear me out. It turns out that my acid reflux was so bad that it was coming up my throat at night, and burning my vocal chords and throat. I wound up having a gastro surgery, and within a month my persistent cough was completely gone. If you have ANY acid reflux at all, private message me, and I can explain more about what was done.

If no acid reflux is present, have you considered seeing an allergist to see what you are allergic to (trees, grass, etc)? That can also help you get a fix on what is causing the problem, and the allergist can help you to determine what course of treatment would be best for you.

[cbayer]

19. There is a much higher rate of environmental allergies right now

apparently due to unseasonable early warming in much of the country.

[grasswire]

20. we just don't know what's ahead, do we?

mild winters bring more insect hatch, too. Boy o boy.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Important point, and very true.

Me, Mr. Dixie and the dog are all taking Benadryl as of 2 weeks ago.
Green pollen is everywhere!
Covering the cars, scumming the rain barrels.
Most persistent sign is throat tickle, coughing, nasal drip.
For the dog and me, there is also itching plus he gets watery eyes.
Fortunately, Benadryl fixes it right up.