Persistent cough
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Discussion

Humpy D

Original Poster:

658 posts

224 months

Friday 15th December 2017
quotequote all
Like a lot of people my OH is suffering from a bad cough that seems to be doing the rounds this year (a lot of people in my office seem to have similar).

She went to her GP who prescribed her antibiotics but after taking them for a week she went back as the cough was getting no better. Another doctor has prescribed her a 5 days course of steroids which she started on Wednesday (4 a day). To date though she is getting no better; in fact to me she is a bit worse.

Short of going back to her GP, any recommendations from anybody on here? She is finding that the old wives remedy of hot honey and lemon does have a soothing effect especially after a bout of coughing.

wiggy001

7,345 posts

300 months

Friday 15th December 2017
quotequote all
My OH is in the same boat, persistent cough for about 5 months now (we know as it started shortly after our daughter was born).

She was prescribed an inhaler (after 2 types of antibiotics did nothing and a chest xray didn't show anything) which does help and is currently waiting for an appointment with a respiratory clinic for further investigation.

LordGrover

34,158 posts

241 months

Friday 15th December 2017
quotequote all
Colleague in work has been suffering with chesty cough for a year or so, since he had pneumonia a year ago.
After many visits to GP, consultant, tests and failed meds it turns out he has COPD. Steroids and inhaler and he's much better but damage is done. It's suggested he may not have had pneumonia at all, but the beginnings of this, and if it had been caught earlier he would be much better.
Get it checked.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

174 months

Friday 15th December 2017
quotequote all
Mine turned out to be sarcoidosis, still taking tablets three years on cry

After a chest X-Ray showed things weren't quite right things started to escalate quite quickly, CT scan, bloods, bronchoscopy/biopsy, spirometry and then the final diagnosis some weeks later by a surgical biopsy under general anaesthetic. Positively shat myself when cancer was mentioned as a possible outcome, hence the speed at which the stages of diagnosis progressed.

Upshot is it's probably nothing but do get it checked out / ask to be sent for a chest X-Ray if it doesn't clear up.