Shaking a cough

[saxy_jag]

I've had a rotten cough for the last couple of weeks, which came on the back of a cold. I've seen my GP and she's confirmed my chest is clear, my throat isn't inflamed and I don't have a temperature. Apparently it's just a virus that should clear on its own. She prescribed Pholcodeine and also Ventolin in the short term just so that I can get on with my musical activities.

That was on Monday, and although I'm much better in myself, the cough lingers. Sometimes I cough so much I retch (although I'm not actually vomiting) and it virtually cripples me for half and hour or so. It gives me a headache as well. Although I can sometimes feel a very slight rattling in my throat when I breathe in and out, the cough isn't productive at all.

What I'm wondering is whether I've been coughing so much that the cough reflex is no longer being triggered by anything physical but has become a psychological thing. I have a nervous habit of sniffing sometimes for no reason and wonder if it could be the same sort of thing. The sniffing, I can deal with, but if coughing myself into oblivion is a nervous habit then it's one I'd prefer to address sooner rather than later.

[cazzz1975]

Im not a medical person but the strain of flu/cold that has been going around comes with a cough that takes weeks to go away, my mom had the same thing as you where she was wretching, after 6 weeks the cough is finally starting to go

[redcrx]

as cazz says, there is a nasty cough with the flu. we all came down with flu at start of november and my son and i still have a cough just like yours.

No sign of it slowing up yet either :(

[saxy_jag]

Well I didn't have flu but, as the doctor says, it does seem like a virus and I know one or two other people who've had a nagging cough. But it's a very long time since I had a cough this bad and for this long. Cazzz, seems like I just have another month to go then ... groan!!