Hope everyone is still managing to keep safe and well!!!
Seeking advice again please... My Mum started with what was a head cold last Saturday, and it seems to have migrated to her throat/perhaps chest? She has a tickly cough, it’s not persistent (only a little at night), but to me is has a barking noise. She says it’s just the mucus running down the back of her throat causing the tickle and so the cough is in her throat - not on her chest. She also says her sputum is white, not green so it’s not infected.
Mum won’t go to the Doctor as she is determined to let her body fight this naturally. She doesn’t have a tight chest and she is not anymore breathless than normal (unless from climbing the stairs). Should I trust that she knows her own body, or does this sound like an exacerbation that needs treatment please?
Starting to panic as it’s the weekend and I won’t have access to the GP, and as you know things can change so quickly! She ended up in hospital following my last post, they believe the infection travelled to her heart and she ended up in AF .
Thank you in advance 😊
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D0n49
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Hi, there is a very nasty cold going around at the moment so your mum could well be right. She probably does know her own body so will hopefully recover well. If things worsen over the weekend there is always 111 or 999. I hope all will be well. Xxx
What your mum describes is post nasal drip, plenty of fluids are required to keep it liquid & easier to run, not thick. Most us with sinus issues know to watch this and also the colour because the particles can get to the upper airways and might, only might cause an infection lower down. Sinus and lung mucus is always better out than in.A natural help for this is Sterimar nasal drops. It's only sterile seawater, some now have something added like a decongestant if you're bunged up with it. Get in supermarket or chemists. In France they use it & even for tiny babies.
Weekend before last we had a family get-together, 9 of us including 2 children. Every single one has been floored with this super-cold that's going around. Every one bar me who has the least need for it. I put that down to having a good immune system now and at the slightest snuffle, tickly cough or sore throat I drink effervescent vitamin C 1000mg. Easily bought at supermarkets or chemist. For a sore throat I use an antiseptic throat spray or gargle with salt water or a few drops of tea tree oil in water.
I can understand both your mum's stubbornness in 'letting things run their course ' (I used to do that with pneumonia and chest infections, never ever again though. I'm reaping the payback of my stubbornness) and I can understand your worries too.
Thing is, your mum's an adult. Just like my stubborn adult son who has asthma and sinus problems. It's very hard to accept that loved ones won't help themselves.
My ex husband was extremely stubborn too & 'didn't believe in doctors'. The kids asked me for help because he wouldn't listen, I had a go at him with love, told him he was utterly selfish and if he didn't want to do it for himself he must do it for his 4 children and all who loved him. He went to doc & eventually diagnosed with a serious illness (not lung related).
So sorry we can't help much (just lung patients here), as I said she's an adult. The very least she might do is eat vitamin rich foods ie kiwi 🥝 fruit have more vitamin C than oranges.
Good luck to you 💐
PS I understand you might be looking after both parents, what a marvellous daughter or son you are!
Aw, only experience of trying to stay well. Right now I'm sitting near a door for 15 minutes after covid booster. Shocked, 100s of people queueing, hardly any ventilation and the couple behind me getting too close in thelong corridor. Gordon Bennett. My anxiety was going through the roof - and I don't suffer anxiety normally . Thank goodness it's done. Apparently if you had AstraZeneca vaccinations you cannot leave for 15 minutes 😓
It was a compulsory 15 minute wait after my booster last Sunday too peege. Thankfully the centre I attended was very well organised with someone supervising everyone's every move and ensuring a 2 metre gap while queueing. Everyone attending had an appointment time and there didn't seem to be anyone just trurning up. The waiting area was well organised too with well spaced chairs and perspex shields between them all.In your situation my anxiety levels would have been through the roof too; they were bad enough as it was. Hope you will soon be safely home and with no after effects xx
We’ve both got our boosters next Tuesday. Pete had Astra Zeneca first time round but won’t want to hang around if it’s busy. Hope you’re ok, you’re a star anyway I think⭐️👍💜
🤗 if I am you are too! Pete will have to wait the 15 minutes in case of a reaction to the Pfizer. I'm fine so far though - I'm hoping for a nice bit of drowsiness so I get a decent night's 💤 😴
Do you mind me asking how do you go about getting your boosters please? Mum and Dad had AZ, would have preferred Pfizer but the Nurse came to our house and it was only a couple of months after Mum being hospitalised with COVID. The second dose will have been 6 months on the 26th of this month.
Does the GP contact you please? Do you know if there is a choice of Moderna or Pfizer? Hopeful the combination plus natural immunity will help protect them! So scared of the constantly high infection rates!!!
At the moment after much research & tests the booster is Pfizer (I'm in England but don't know if it's different elsewhere). Booster is due & given 6 months after the 2nd vaccination. Your parents should be contacted near the time that the 6 months is up. How were they contacted for the 2 vaccinations? I expect the booster will be by the same method. In my town it's all been done by all our GP surgeries getting together & organising it all to be done at our firestation. All very clean and loads of space. All my contact for 2 covid vaccinations, flu jab and the booster has been by text from my surgery.
You could check out your practises website. I do my prescriptions on line & when I did it a few days ago I noticed lots of information.
Did either of your parents have to shield? Or are they immunosupressed? If the latter they would receive a 3rd vaccination very soon rather than a booster.
If they're registered as having lung diseases, the 6 months is almost up and you haven't heard perhaps contact the surgery.
I think some people are having covid booster and flu jab at the same time.
Hope that helps. P
PS perhaps people who've had Moderna may have a Moderna booster - that's beyond my knowledge but someone else may know.
A friend is popping round over the weekend, he's a teacher so a front line worker . I know he had Moderna so I'll ask him & let you know
I got away with the wait because my wife Anne was in the car " I was not alone" - AstraZeneca being singled out is a joke, after all my daughter who is employed by Lighthouse labs testing for COVID. Coved. Anyway she went with a gill who worked there also and had the Pfizer shot and the girl starting fitting and had to go to hospital, lucky for her test centre was part of a hospital complex.. I am deciding when to go or not, I should but am undecided ,,,,,I had AstraZeneca first two times and had mild side effects, I have had flue jab and probably will be having Immunotherapy very soon after (TURBT) so wondering if the jab will be giving my immune system one kick to many, and may attack me.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a considerate response! I do know I can seem overbearing, but everything I do is out of love.
Just going to back off for now and pray she gets better naturally soon!!!
Thanks for all the advice! Trying to get her to drink the effervescent vitamin C is a daily battle when she takes so many tablets already but maybe kiwis would be more palatable! 🤞🏻
In fact I'm sitting in an open doorway of the large firestation fantasising that some jolly firemen will prance over doing a Full Monty number, wouldn't I applaud
Best to keep an eye on thing especially the colour of mucus. Does she have a rescue pack if it does turn infectious ? If not can you get one from the Gp just incase?
Thanks Kristicats, will do! Yes she has a rescue pack, but it only contains amoxicillin which never really works!
Problem is she has been pumped full of IV antibiotics so much in the last 12 months, COVID pneumonia in December and she was hospitalised at the end of July following three courses of oral antibiotics failing to shift a chest infection which travelled to her heart. Really worried about immunity to antibiotics, and brittle bones caused by steroids!
She is very lucky to have you so concerned for her welfare. My consultant always says go by how you are feeling. If improving or staying the same it's OK but if showing signs of getting worse then probably should take your rescue pack. Good luck!
This was me on Monday and I sent an econsult to doctors and he told me to take my rescue prednisolone and if sputum changes colour take the antibiotics, fortunately I have only needed the prednisolone and now it's under control again. Hope your mum gets better soon
I was reading something the other day that said if you take steroids more than three times in a year it can cause osteoporosis - her bones are in a bad state; needing a knee and hip replacement as well as wearing of the spine, can’t afford for them to be brittle too 🥺
Oh dear I do know what you mean I have dodgy knees but luckily keep it as low a year as possible with the prednisolone, it can affect your eyes with cataracts also big the benefits for myself it's a necessary one.
Before you worry too much D0n49 it would depend for those 3 times per year how long each course and what dose. 3 short courses for exacerbations wouldn't cause osteoporosis. I had osteopenia long long before I even had a steroid inhaler. Loss of bone density can be from several factors, for me it was a too short time of menstruating possibly coupled with lack of any calcium in my diet. Alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet can all contribute to premature bone loss (same things can also lower immunity 😬). P ××PS I still only have osteopenia 20 years later after amending my diet & taking HRT
You have had great advice from peege and I think you are a wonderful daughter too. All I would add is to try and worry a little less and take time out to relax rather than risk your own health beginning to suffer through living on your nerves. That said you are doing well but your mum seems to be too and she sounds to be very much in tune with her own body. Best wishes to you and your parents.
Thank you very much CDPO16 😊 I struggle with the concept of self care and I don’t know how not to stress?!?! Feel like we’ve been to hell and back this last year, but I am trying!
I am sorry to hear about your mum being unwell. You have both been through a lot with the covid and COPD diagnosis.
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Poor mum
Is an exacerbation always an infection?
COPD exacerbation?
Waiting for results… so anxious 
