persistant cough

[suagrtits]

ive had a really bad chesty cough now for going on nearly 6 weeks or so, not to get to icky but nothing is coming up although it feels like something is there and once i start coughing i cant stop. Other than that i feel ok so was wondering if this is worth bothering my doctor at all? thanks

[suagrtits]

i should add that i have never smoked, am reasonably fit too

[Sharingan]

Any cough that lasts more than 3 weeks go and see a doctor, there are adverts running about it about lung cancer.

[Philtaz]

I don't want to alarm you as it's in all probability nothing sinister however......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17960215

Best get yourself along to the GP and have it looked at, just for peace of mind.

[suagrtits]

my partner brought this up to me tonight, i just though that he was perhaps over reacting ;-/

[vodkancoke]

I had the same thing. I went to my doc on Friday and she gave me really strong antibiotics. It has now gone. She told me to give it a week and if it still hadn't gone she was going to give me a steroid inhaler to stop the spasm of coughing so much. Get to your doc tomorrow if you can and see what they can give you.It's horrible and you have my sympathy, it's such a knackering cough! Get better soon :)

[Ann]

I had my cough for over 2 months and it sounds as if yours was just like mine. My doctor listened to my chest and said it was fine, I has a viral infection - I just had to be patient and it eventually went! Lots of people getting this kind of cough since Christmas, think its a vicious type of bug going around .....

[naomi24]

Ann, you could be right. My husband has this now and is unable to sleep because of it. He's just put his head over a bowl of steaming water containing a few drops of Olbas Oil for a while and says his chest feels better, so that might be worth a try.

[Ann]

Thats a good thing to do Naomi, I did do this and found it helped, also herbal sweets called Ricola from Holland & Barrett are good to suck in the night to stop coughing and to get some sleep.

[Ann]

How many people get primary lung cancer who are non-smokers - does anyone know? They didn't say on the TV campaign, I had always assumed it was really a smokers illness but maybe not ............

[naomi24]

Thanks, Ann. I'll tell him. He works very long hours so has very little sleep at the best of times. He's exhausted.

[237SJ]

How do you define that your cough is chesty? If nothing is coming up and there is no mucus there, are you sure it is chesty? Is the tickle in your throat or your chest? I have heard the warnings (on the radio) about lung cancer. I saw my friend and neighbour through lung cancer. Her first symptoms were weight loss followed by breathlessness on exertion. A cough might be the very first sign, but it`s not as simple as that. Keep an eye on your symptoms and if they don`t disappear on a couple of weeks go to your GP but don`t worry.

[Ann]

I think this TV campaign is a good idea to raise awareness but on the other hand it is probably causing panic among everyone who has this silly cough bug which seems to be sweeping the nation ............

[LoftyLottie]

I think that persistant coughs are very common and we should not get panicked by this these lung cancer 'adverts'. The majority of persistant coughs are caused by a virus,follow a cold or flue or by allergies. Yes, if a cough has gone on for a long time it is wise to see a doctor, not just to rule out cancer but to get some treatmen and advice.

[jno]

my cough's been going a month, but it's mostly not chesty, just tickly enough to stop me getting to sleep for a while. No way is it cancer, it's just the leftovers of a cold. I suppose it's jolly decent of them to try to warn us of the worst that can happen, but coughs that come with colds are nothing new.

[shaneystar2]

I find I cough due to the wretched central heating .I get in overheated shops and start coughing .I am a smoker though .Not heavy .Sneaky ones outside :)
If I was losing weight etc as 237SJ mentions and becoming breathless I would worry .
My Dad died from lung cancer .Also a smoker but smoking didn't cause it Asbestos dust did .I would go to the doctorthough .Probably a chest infection which they can soon sort out for you .

[naomi24]

I haven't seen the adverts, but my husband hasn't had a cold - just a lack of energy and the cough. He's very fit usually, so I suspect it's some sort of virus.

[Ann]

Naomi - I had that cough for about 10 weeks in total, was getting very worried about it, but it did eventually go in March. Now this weekend it suddenly came back - just the same type of cough, it lasted for two days and I coughed so much my ribs hurt but today I have hardly coughed at all so assume its on the way out again - weird! Someone suggested it is hay fever due to all the dampness and strong winds...............

[Sqad]

Just a few comments as above posters have made all relevant comments.

Loss of weight and breathlessness is an extremely uncommon presentation of lung cancer and indicates advanced disease.

Lung cancer in non smokers is unusual, but may occur and when it does it tends to be an aggressive type with poor prognosis.

suagrtits......yours is almost certainly viral and should settle within the next 2 weeks, but if it doesn't, then see your GP.

[Sqad]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17960215

I just have the feeling that GP's will take this with a "pinch of salt" as if every patient with a cough of over 3 weeks duration was sent for a chest X-Ray, the NHS radiology system would collapse.