"Should I or shouldn't I"

[Grandimose]

Sorry I am having a blonde moment - even though I'm grey!! For the past week I have a really bad chesty cough and then a full blown cold (not been to doctors but would think it's a viral infection as there seems to be a lot of it about) - should Inject methotrexate today - should I or shouldn't I.

[hawker955]

No, absolutely not. Your rheumatologist or nurses should have told you this!

[nomoreheels]

If your chesty cough is persistent, if you're bringing up normal coloured cloudy phlegm then no, I wouldn't inject until it eases. MTX can affect the lungs so we need to be aware of changes. If it continues next week or to next Friday when you're due your next injection, or before if your temp shoots up & the phlegm turns yellow then hot foot it to the docs, you need to catch it in case it turns bacterial & you need antibiotics.

Hope it doesn't get that far & you're feeling better soon.

[Downtime]

No I don't think you should. Im in the 3rd week of the same virus and have a phlegmy cough which won't shift. I sound like 60 a day smoker. Went to the doc he said no antibiotics as there's no infection but said I'd get better more quickly if I missed a dose of Mxt. To be fair it was only a suggestion but as I'm really getting fed up I'll do anything to make it go away.

[Grandimose]

Thank you for your comments - I won't of course inject today but the dread of a flare up made me waver!! x

[nomoreheels in reply to Grandimose]

I know we're all different but I can go 2-3 weeks before I start notice to changes. The only time I've flared is when I was off it (& my other meds) 3 months, I noticed then!

[Gnarli]

I'd have thought not. Really sorry you feel so poorly. Btw it's not "grey". I call it "Arctic blonde" 'coz it sounds a bit more glam

[Joy_1]

Hi,

There a lot of folk that have had this 'cough virus'. We all caught it on the 1st Jan. So at least it did not spoil Xmas and New Year's Eve.

I take MTX orally. I debated not taking it but my cough was not dry and I did not have a temperature so I took it.

A strange virus, no cold, no temperature, no runny nose just a horrendous cough with lots of phlegm that went on and on and on and was the absolute pits at night as it really wrecked your sleep. I am 99% better now, it took 2 weeks to clear up.

Having had 2 chest infections since diagnosis in 2012; one in Jan '13 and one in Jan '14 I now very much stick to the advice my Mum and Pharmacist recommend.

1 - rest rest rest

2- steam inhalation (nothing in the water) 3 times a day

3 - pinch of turmeric with milk twice a day (VERY good for the chest), turmeric said to be anti bacterial - I know milk can increase the phlegm so you could take the turmeric with water - I don't as the taste is awful

4 - ginger tea twice a day (slice of fresh ginger in hot water)

5 - ginger, honey and lemon twice a day