Anyone else have a really bad cough with no other symptoms?

[The Night Owl]

I caught a really bad bug from my dad. I don't have cold or flu symptoms except for a really deep and usually unproductive cough. My dad had it worse. His coughs would sometimes cause him to have laryngospasms just like the Pope recently had. Those are scary. Imagine not being able to breathe for roughly a minute because your larynx is spasming. I hope I don't get the spasms too.

Anyway, something really nasty is going around. I hear a lot of other people coughing violently.

[qanda]

1. I had it twice in the last four months

The first time, I literally stayed up all night coughing. I don't have health insurance and so I used Vicks, steam and some old cough syrup until I was better.

Then I got something around Christmas and this time it came with cold symptoms, but I was hoarse for three weeks straight. I sing and my singing voice is still not all the way there.

I hope you and your dad are feeling better soon.

[The Night Owl]

2. Thanks!

My voice is hoarse from coughing, but I kind of like it. I sound like a demonic Barry White right now, which is a good thing.

[Not_Giving_Up]

3. Yep...everyone in my house, including me

Bronchitis!

I made it to the doctor today for antibiotics and Vicodin cough syrup. Finding out more and more how much my insurance sucks. Why the fuck does a bottle of cough syrup cost me $50 WITH insurance?

[The Night Owl]

6. I don't think I have Bronchitis.

I don't feel any congestion in my chest. I just have a constant feeling of ticklishness in my lower throat, not my chest, and it causes me to cough a lot.

[Dookus]

9. woah!

I just got a bottle of vicodin cough syrup with NO insurance and it only cost me $17 at Safeway pharmacy.

[Not_Giving_Up]

12. Gee, that makes me feel so much better!

Not only that, but my antibiotics were 30, and they wanted another 30 for a week's worth of Allegra-D. The doc said I could take Actifed instead of the Allegra, but that I really need the cough syrup. No kidding, my chest hurts from coughing so hard.

I'm already on Singulair, Advair, and an Albuterol for those nasty asthma attacks.

[tcfrogs]

4. Sounds like walking pneumonia

I had similar symptoms the past two winters, bad cough but no sore throat. Pretty easily treatable with the right meds.

Hope you get better!

[The Night Owl]

5. I don't think I have Walking Pneumonia.

My lungs don't feel congested or anything like that. I just have a constant feeling of ticklishness in my lower throat and it causes me to cough a lot.

[Not_Giving_Up]

7. That sounds like post nasal drip

Little trickle of ick dripping down the back of your throat. Get an expectorant and see what you cough up.

[Dookus]

8. yup

had it for more than two weeks now. Went to the doctor the other day. Said it was caused by post-nasal drip. Gave me Clarinex and vicodin cough-syrup.

[The Night Owl]

10. My nose isn't runny, though.

Can I have post-nasal drip without having a runny nose or other cold or flu symptoms?

[Dookus]

13. yes, you can

I didn't actually have a "runny" nose, but I did have a little bit of sinus "over-production".

[chookie]

16. Yup

Post-nasal drip can be a major cause of chronic cough. It is often overlooked.

Chronic cough without other symptoms is usually treated first as asthma, with steroid inhalers. IF the cough continues, it is a good idea to try something to get the post nasal drip to cease and desist, in addition to the steroid inhaler.

Do you have a tickle in your larynyx area? Might well be PND.

I sure hope you have an easy time with it, but be warned -- it is a pain in the ass for many of us, and not easily treated and not easily understood.

[The Night Owl]

18. Yes!

I think my dad and I have PND. PND would definitely explain my dad's laryngospasms, which occurred mostly at night.

[chookie]

11. Probably bronchitis

I get it SO BAD with even a minor cold that I get all Howard Hughes about being around people with colds. *THEY* may get over it in a week to 10 days, meanwhile I honk like a rutting elephant seal for 4 months even if I just have a minor case of sniffles.

Another poss is adult onset asthma. Apparently this is on the rise in recent years. Inhaled steroids might help.

My sincere hope is that for you and your Dad, that this is short term malady.

[The Night Owl]

15. Bronchitis is generally felt in the chest, isn't it?

My cough seems to come from an annoying ticklish feeling in my throat. My throat is not sore, but it does feel hoarse just from coughing so forcefully.

[chookie]

17. see post 16

Yup -- sounds like PND.

I hope you get over it quickly.

I've had it for, uh, 17 years. Off and on. At times very very bad. It's a pain in the ass. Currently in "remission" -- I think because of adding a humidifier to the super-heated NE central heating here in PA and experimenting with OTC all-day antihistimine/decongestants. It seems to have gotten the irritation way way down. Mr Tickle-In-The-Throat has been an infrequent visitor this last week, and what a treat it has been.

[The Night Owl]

19. A tablespoon of honey with some lemon juice squeezed over it...

A tablespoon of honey with some lemon juice squeezed over it really seems to help reduce the ticklishness and hoarseness in my throat... Tastes good too!

[sandnsea]

14. My husband

He's been coughing for a couple weeks now. I had it back the end of September. It just goes on and on, I had it for a few weeks. Then, poof, it just disappears. But do be careful it doesn't turn into something else, if you should get a fever or something. We know someone who just died from pnumonia, don't mess around if you get other symptoms!