Can't quite shift a cough

Sorry for the wordy post....

I had a cold at the beginning of December and after the cold had gone I developed a cough. It was a hacking/smokers cough (I don't smoke) and after two weeks, during which I set a 5k pb, I decided not to exercise for a week.

After 7 days it didn't seem much better so I went to the Dr. He listened to my lungs and said that chances are antibiotics wouldn't do anything and that the cough would just clear on its own in time.

It almost went. Then, two nights ago I woke up at 2am having a coughing fit. Felt better in the morning, although had a tickly cough still, and at lunchtime I ran a new 5k pb.

I have Soothers on my desk, lots of cold drinks and had someVenos Chesty Cough syrup this morning. The cough is still there, right in the back of my throat. No sore throat, no other symptoms.

Its beginning to cheese me off!

So, any tips?

Comments

  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    I have the same cough, from the same cold (started 9th December).

    I will be heading out at lunchtime to buy some Buttercup Syrup, which has never failed to get rid of the last symptoms before. No idea what's in it, or why it seems to work - it just does.



    Must try a 5k to see if PBs are a side effect. ;o)
  • Oook!Oook! ✭✭✭
    I had a similar experience - chest infection cleared but left a graveyard cough which lasted six weeks.

    GP said it would get better eventually...in desperation I resorted to echinacea, it appeared to work
  • have you tried excluding as much dairy from your diet as possible - sometimes helps to reduce mucus formation and reduce coughing fits (sorry for being so graphic!)
  • Thanks for the replies, at least I no longer feel alone!

    I haven't heard of Buttercup Syrup or echinacea before so I will look into them. I'm guessing they can be found at Holland and Barratts as opposed to Tesco's?

    I will cut down on dairy too (he says while sat here eating a yoghurt). Will be tough, I still have some fab christmas cheese and biscuits in - maybe thats the problem?

    To be fair the Venos and Soothers seem to be working, I have coughed less today.
  • I've got it as well so I'll try Buttercup syrup too. Thanks for info Nessie.
  • Buttercup has worked for me when nothing else has.
    I would watch it with cold liquids, though, they can aggravate things. Unfortunately, you can't avoid inhaling cold air this time of year, try to keep your mouth shut though when outdoors(that's what my Mum always told us when we were kids!).
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    She probably wanted some peace Moo! ;O)
  • The other things that could cause a persistant cough could be a sinus infection, something in your ear canal, or asthma. There is a case in which a fellow with a persistant cough had a bug trapped in his ear - and once that was removed, the cough went away.

    The cough that wakes you up in the middle of the night, though, is a bit worrying. Does it also happen if you laugh or cry? If so, have your GP look to see if you have asthma!

    Good luck, and hope that the cough is just a cold!
  • Nessie! We were good kids!! (But she did have the 3 of us in 4 years, poor Mum :S
  • Pluis - I was going to suggest asthma too as a possible. Great minds and all that! I was only diagnosed a year ago although have probably had it very mildly all my life (I am penicillin allergic, suffer from hayfever and rhinitis...).
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    I know at least 5 people who had the same cold as I did (one of whom gave it to me, at least two I gave it to - oops), and we are all still coughing, so hopefully it's not asthma.
  • Pluis/Creamcake - I am allergic to penicillin and started suffering from Hayfever two years ago. Both my older brother and younger sister have asthma, as does my wife. I've decsribed the symptoms to them and seen a doc and all DON'T think its asthma - few!

    I think the night I woke up was because the heating was on too high and I just dried up in the night.

    The Venos is working, hardly coughed at all so far today and ran another pb this morning over 10k*. Hopefully this cough will be a thing of the past by early next week.

    *I've only been timing myself over 5/10k since November when I started training for the FLM**, so pb's are are just proof that I am getting fitter, as opposed to faster if that makes sense.

    **I started training in November as all the training plans I saw seemed to start in January at 6 miles.
  • Well, it not being asthma is a good thing; from personal experience, being one, a runner, and Springtime are just a pain in the backend and would not wish it upon anyone!

    If the Venos is helping, it could be just a "post-broncitic cough," which comes after coughing so much that your lungs are just tetchy and are irritated by anything - like breathing. =)

    Keep the fluid intake up, and hope all of you with this nasty lurgy get better soon!
  • Picked up on this thread, I have had a cough for over two weeks now - I have decided - very sadly, not to run until it is better as it seems much worse after I have been out running and I feel dreadful the next day - may try a gentle plod tomorrow though - and will try the buttercup syrup - anything to help it!!!!
  • 4 weesk for my cough
    bliddy pain
  • At least a rest from running is giving me time to do some decorating and get rid of some aches and pains, got to look on the positive side - will see how I get on tomorrow - I feel loads better this morning, so hopefully on the mend.

  • glad to hear that whizzy
    Makes you appreciate your health though doesnt it
  • I've had that same cold followed by cough.

    Haven't been running for 2 weeks now.
    I think it's getting better.


    One thing that I do find helps: often, at night, my nose blocks up while I'm asleep so I start mouth-breathing, which irritates the cough. So I use a nasal spray before bed, even if I don't seem to need it at the time, (xylometazoline), to keep the nose clear while asleep. If you ever get wakened by the cough at night and find your nose is blocked, I recommend using this to prevent mouth breathing.
  • Cough still here. Fed up with it now and have bought Echnicea tabs and Vit C with Zinc in desperation.

    And the sole of my foot has started aching again - haven't sufferred from that for over a year.

    I think I am slowly falling apart!
  • Rich - I had some old aches and pains last week when I eventually decided to give in to the cough and stop running until it had gone, think it is your body telling you that it needs to rest to recover - it is not easy to stop running, but having stopped since Wednesday I feel loads better, will start again on Tuesday and see how I get on - see what happens.
  • Looks like I have been forced into rest anyway. Did 10 miles yesterday and at mile 8 my knee started hurting. I (stupidly) ignored it and ran the last two miles anyway and its been very sore since.

    I think I'll take a week off and see what happens.
  • Rich -how've you got on with the cough. I had a run last week, got soaked and developed a dry throat and rasping cough which by this weekend was a real pain. It isn't productive at all (except for a bit when I wake up) and I have a tickly cough syrup, Strepsils etc at work hoping it'll shift.
    Like an earlier post I think my lungs are just irritated due to there being hardly anything to cough up.
    Had a bit of a fever -shivers which has gone now.
  • Coughs gone now. One week on 2 Ecchinicea(sp?) tabs and 2 Vitaman C with Zinc tabs a day seems to have cleared it.

    Or it cleared by itself, as I wasn't running either.

    As long as it stays gone that'll do me!
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