Bad cough, doctor no help

pac1085

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2000
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76
It started back in August. I got some sort of cold and developed a cough but the cold went away after a few days. The cough stayed. I had the cough for easily 6 weeks after, and it finally went away. Well after 2-3 weeks of no cough I got another "cold" type thing and the cough came back. Its dry and nothing comes up with it. I've had it for about 5 weeks now. Its driving me crazy. And the people I work with are bitching. I called the doctor back and they just say "it can take up to 8 weeks" It doesn't seem right, especially since I had it once and it came back. He put me on some sort of cough syrup with codeine, but its not an antibiotic or anything, just for temporary relief. And it doesn't really work. Any ideas? I'm not sure if I should just keep waiting or try another doctor.
 

mcveigh

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2000
6,457
6
81
could be a resp. infection, goto a different doctor or the ER

joke:
what do you call the last guy in his class at med school?
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Doctor
 

Crucial

Diamond Member
Dec 21, 2000
5,026
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I had a similar cough and it took 2 different antibiotics to knock it out. Nothing except an inhaler helped the cough.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
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Do doctors get upset when you ask for a refferal for a second opinion? I got reffered by my primary care to a specialist in same office, but he wasn't very helpful. So I asked my primary care for a refferal to another specialist in a different office for a second opinion. Also, should I continue care with the first specialist while I am waiting a few weeks for the refferal for a second opinion to be processed? Or once you ask for a second opinion, you are out? :D
 

randomint

Banned
Sep 16, 2006
693
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0
I had the exact same thing and I have been coughing for a month now. I went to a clinic where the doctor told me to take an antibiotic (Amoxicillin 500mg) for a week. I tried that, it didn't help. I had a little bit of a sore throat and very mild fever and the throat pain actually became even worse and there was no effect on the cough. So after coughing for a month almost (although my co-workers didn't bitch but I could tell they were going to soon by the look on their faces), I went to this allergy specialist who took an allergy test and then a breathing test and concluded that it could be an allergic reaction ( i am allergic to ragweed/grass) or a chest infection. He gave me Biaxin (a powerful antibiotic) for the (possible) infection and a nasal spray to clear up the sinuses and help with the allergies. So far, the cough has stopped almost completely and the sore throat is beginning to subside.

It's not just you, the fact is that the unusually warm weather has caused mould and other summer-time nasties to rejuvenate and that's what's causing most of the coughing. I suggest you get an allergy test, a breathing test and a chest x-ray to figure out what exactly you have: an allergy or a chest infection. Then you can begin treatment.

i hope that helped.
 

Paddington

Senior member
Jun 26, 2006
538
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0
Perhaps I can help you. Most chronic dry coughs are due to allergies/irritants or gastric reflux.

Try going on Protonix and Claritin for a few months and see if that improves your course.
 

Paddington

Senior member
Jun 26, 2006
538
0
0
Originally posted by: mcveigh
could be a resp. infection, goto a different doctor or the ER

joke:
what do you call the last guy in his class at med school?
|
V



















Doctor

NO DO NOT GO THE ER FOR A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. STUPID STUPID ADVICE. NEVER DO THAT. :roll:
 

randomint

Banned
Sep 16, 2006
693
1
0
Originally posted by: Paddington
Perhaps I can help you. Most chronic dry coughs are due to allergies/irritants or gastric reflux.

Try going on Protonix and Claritin for a few months and see if that improves your course.

Good point. Acid reflux is also known to cause the exact same symptoms (without the fever of course). That could be the third cause. If so, Zantac is something that helps greatly.
 

Paddington

Senior member
Jun 26, 2006
538
0
0
Originally posted by: randomint
I had the exact same thing and I have been coughing for a month now. I went to a clinic where the doctor told me to take an antibiotic (Amoxicillin 500mg) for a week. I tried that, it didn't help. I had a little bit of a sore throat and very mild fever and the throat pain actually became even worse and there was no effect on the cough. So after coughing for a month almost (although my co-workers didn't bitch but I could tell they were going to soon by the look on their faces), I went to this allergy specialist who took an allergy test and then a breathing test and concluded that it could be an allergic reaction ( i am allergic to ragweed/grass) or a chest infection. He gave me Biaxin (a powerful antibiotic) for the (possible) infection and a nasal spray to clear up the sinuses and help with the allergies. So far, the cough has stopped almost completely and the sore throat is beginning to subside.

It's not just you, the fact is that the unusually warm weather has caused mould and other summer-time nasties to rejuvenate and that's what's causing most of the coughing. I suggest you get an allergy test, a breathing test and a chest x-ray to figure out what exactly you have: an allergy or a chest infection. Then you can begin treatment.

i hope that helped.

Antibiotics are handed out like placebos to patients these days. Actual bacterial infections are uncommon. If you weren't having purulent drainage from one of your body's orifices, you probably did not have a bacterial infection. When people do get respiratory infections, it's caused by viruses. But because patients are so thickheaded and it just takes too long to explain to them that antibiotics have no activity against viruses, many old school doctors just give antibiotics to everyone knowing that viral illnesses resolve on their own after some time.

In your case though, it was probably cuased by allergies. Ragweed is everwhere. I have that same allergy, and I have cough/nasal symptoms from July through September.
 

h8red

Senior member
Jul 24, 2001
967
1
71
Originally posted by: Paddington
Perhaps I can help you. Most chronic dry coughs are due to allergies/irritants or gastric reflux.

Try going on Protonix and Claritin for a few months and see if that improves your course.

Godd suggestions. Except I would change protonix to prilosec because its available over the counter. Benedryl is perhaps a better antihistamine but it causes a lot of drowsiness so I usually recommend chlorpheniriamine instead.

If it was me, I would try chlorpheniramine first and then prilosec
 

Mark R

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,513
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81
Unfortunately, after an infection, it can take up to 8 weeks for a cough to settle down - it's unlucky that you got a 2nd infection just as you were recovering from the first.

At this stage, it's unlikely there's any infection left - so antibiotics aren't going to be helpful. Unfortunately, while cough is an annoying symptom, there's not a lot that really helps with it. Codeine syrups may help reduce the cough a bit, but they don't actually do anything for the lungs, and they have a number of side effects, so are probably not worth persevering with if they aren't helping. The fancy syrups you can get from the drugstore are just plain cough syrup with assorted snake oils.

Unfortunately, you haven't really given enough information for anyone to give accurate advice as to what may be the problem. Personally, I'd follow the first doctors advice that it may need 8 weeks to settle down fully - and then, if it doesn't go back and ask for further tests. But if it really is troubling you, then by all means find another doctor and ask their advice (please note that this does not mean go to the ER for this problem).

Doctors aren't upset if you ask for a 2nd opinion. It's your right to ask. If, for whatever reason, the doctor-patient relationship isn't working out, then it's far better that a 3rd party gets involved before things become too difficult. Many doctors will suggest a 2nd opinion if, they feel that they are unable to reach an agreement with you on a potentially significant matter (from their perspective, if they give up in an argument early, and pass the buck to someone else, they're less likely to get their ass sued if it does turn out that they were wrong).
 

drinkmorejava

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
3,567
7
81
I forget the drug, but I had a steroid inhaler that was made for people with asthma that's supposed to reduce bronchial irritation, that seemed to work. You might not want or be able to get the inhaler, but ask about something called a Tessalon Pearl, it's old stuff but it works well and there's no reason for them not to let you get it...and it's cheap.

At about the 6 week point of my cough they actually had me go in for a chest x-ray just too as I was an otherwise healthy 18 year old with no prior illnesses like that.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
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Originally posted by: Mark R
Unfortunately, after an infection, it can take up to 8 weeks for a cough to settle down - it's unlucky that you got a 2nd infection just as you were recovering from the first.

At this stage, it's unlikely there's any infection left - so antibiotics aren't going to be helpful. Unfortunately, while cough is an annoying symptom, there's not a lot that really helps with it. Codeine syrups may help reduce the cough a bit, but they don't actually do anything for the lungs, and they have a number of side effects, so are probably not worth persevering with if they aren't helping. The fancy syrups you can get from the drugstore are just plain cough syrup with assorted snake oils.

Unfortunately, you haven't really given enough information for anyone to give accurate advice as to what may be the problem. Personally, I'd follow the first doctors advice that it may need 8 weeks to settle down fully - and then, if it doesn't go back and ask for further tests. But if it really is troubling you, then by all means find another doctor and ask their advice (please note that this does not mean go to the ER for this problem).

Doctors aren't upset if you ask for a 2nd opinion. It's your right to ask. If, for whatever reason, the doctor-patient relationship isn't working out, then it's far better that a 3rd party gets involved before things become too difficult. Many doctors will suggest a 2nd opinion if, they feel that they are unable to reach an agreement with you on a potentially significant matter (from their perspective, if they give up in an argument early, and pass the buck to someone else, they're less likely to get their ass sued if it does turn out that they were wrong).

Actually, I like my primary care doctor. But the specialist he reffers me to, second time seeing him, both times, no help. He did order some more tests, but since it takes them several weeks to process the second opinion refferal, I figure I get the ball rolling on it in the meantime.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,910
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This type of cough is usually caused by allergens. Try sleeping with a decent quality air purifier in your room. I bet you'll feel better after a week.
 

pac1085

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2000
3,456
0
76
thanks everyone for the replies.

the cough is gone for now...actually what happened is I threw out my back a few days after I posted this thread....

my back hurt so bad when I cough, I had to force my self not to, and it went away (probably a coincedence)

I found two things since then.

I live in the basement, I found a quite a bit of mold behind a bookshelf down here from water leaking in. that has been taken care of

another thing that I found was the exhaust pipe from our hot water heater was rotted out allowing the exhaust to escape into the basement. that has also been fixed.

i'm assuming one or both of these is what caused it. its gone for now though, hopefully it won't come back.