An update on my wife. With a question...

[Alwaysreading_46]

Hey everyone. I hope everyone is doing well and a sincere thanks for the time everyone took to reply to me about my wife.

She finished her antibiotics Sunday evening and her phlegm has gone from luminescent green to clear. So that's a result first of all so far.

Energy levels have slowly increased as she's eating more and drinking lots of fluids.

The lingering cough is there. Which is obviously annoying for her and she is still waiting on notification for the xray which was booked last Saturday. So 9 days so far and we have been told it could take 3 weeks. 🙄

My question is. The doctor whom I spoke to via 111 who prescribed her antibiotics and an inhaler said he would have given steroids like Predniselone if he could have examined her lungs to hear them.

This was nearly midnight and my wife was beyond tired and as I've mentioned has mobility issues from being disabled. So taking her down when she was semi comfortable wasn't an option.

However. Have any of you had the post infection lingering cough. I have before being an asthmatic as a kid.

I am thinking that as I have found out who the doctor is. Calling to book her in for a check and see if steroids could help her with the cough and to check that he is happy with her progress so far.

What did you do for yours if that was the case just to get some relief or try and clear it up completely as I know post infection coughs can last for weeks if not longer.

Right now she's watching pirates of the Carribean and has just eaten dinner which is more than she has been able to do and has been up all day. Albeit with the intermittent spontaneous cough.

Sincerely.

Craig.

[djbctla]

We’ll done u. 🥰🤗🤗🤗🤗

[Caspiana]

Hello. It is good news your wife seems to be better now. Steroids are immunosuppressants. Thus reducing inflammation in the lungs. In general they are prescribed for between seven and fourteen days. Some people are on them for life (like me). There are down sides to using steroids but in general they really help to reduce inflammation. They might help her cough I'd imagine. I don't know if I have helped answer your question, but I hope she feels better very soon. Best wishes to you both. 🌿🌸🌿🌸

P.S. if she starts taking steroids, it is best to take them in the morning. They can cause insomnia.

[garshe]

Always take steroids after a meal, never in empty stomach If I ever get a cough which I am pleased to say is very rare, I take Covonia mucus relief cough syrup. It has liquorice in it so really good.

Good luck in sorting your wife's cough xxSheila 👍💕

[Bingo88]

Good morning. I have severe copd and had a week of feeling not well the beginning of January when we were having very cold nights and I developed a cough due to the cold. And my doctor from a telephone consultation diagnosed viral infection and gave me 5 days of Steroids. But I still have the cough. But they might work for your wife. Hope she feels better soon. Brian

[Alberta56]

Glad to read that your wife is feeling better. Hope she continues to make progress. The worst thing about steroids, I found, was insomnia.

[Alwaysreading_46]

Thanks everyone.

We have just had the letter for her chest xray appointment. 10 days ago it was requested and we have been told this morning it will be next Monday. 🙄

My wife says she feels so much better and is eating and her appetite is back and drinking fluids. The remaining cough is obviously annoying but no longer green phlegm which has taken weeks to sort out with 1 week antibiotics then being told to see how she does.

So for now we are monitoring it and if anything changes an appointment straight away for the gp. To see if we can completely clear it.

Thanks for all the replies and well wishes, I really appreciate it all.

Craig

[Karenanne61]

Good news that there is some improvement. I take codeine linctus, on prescription, for my cough and it helps.

[helenlw7]

I had a cough for 5 years from 2012. I was already on steroids before my asthma was diagnosed so they didn’t help my cough. I also have a lung disease called Bronchiectasis and rheumatoid arthritis and was on long term steroids for these. Towards the end of the 5 years, I was prescribed an antibiotic called Azithromycin,as a prophylactic. After about 3 weeks my cough stopped and I haven’t coughed since.

[Alwaysreading_46]

I finally managed to get hold of our Doctors. I asked for a face to face appointment and with a little back and forth managed to get an appointment for 17:00 today with an APN. Advanced practice nurse. The only appointment they had.

She is due for her xray Monday and we are going to see what is said this evening.

Giving a weeks worth of antibiotics a time is ridiculous. As it is then a waiting game and jumping through hoops to talk to someone.

Hopefully this evening she gets some more help to finally sort this without her going backwards. The emergency doctor I spoke to noone can tell me where he was based as he was incredible. As she still has a little green phlegm and we don't want it snowballing again. So a sputum test also as we are collecting the pot at the time of the appointment.

Regards.

Craig.