sore chest

[goldheart]

I have a bad cough / a tight/sore and my head feels clogged up - i need to be tip top for Friday as I am at a wedding. Im taking Lemsip chesty cough mixture and paracetamol....any other suggestions, like old grannie's cures etc... Im breathless too but dont want to go to the doctors as its early stages and they like you to be ill for at least 10 days. what about steaming my head over a saucepan of boiling water or is this just a wive's tale?

[natalie_1982]

Keep your fluids up, drink as much water as you can to flush your system out and eat basic nutritious foods and rest up!

[keen2learn]

No, it's not an old wives tale, it's a good remedy. Steam inhalation (but over a bowl of hot water, not a boiling saucepan - you'll get scalded) will soothe your throat and  loosen the secretions that are clogging your airway, and help you to breathe more easily. You can add menthol crystals from the chemist for a more stimulating effect, and you can also but liitle inhaler pots, like large cups with a lid and spout, which might be more pleasant than sitting with a cloth over your head.

[OBonio]

Probably a bit late for some Echinacea, but might be worth a try. I swear by it myself.

[smudge]

Sudafed or Sinutab tablets are very good for clearing your head & allowing you to breath properly. Good luck & enjoy the wedding goldheart!

[spudqueen]

Get down the chemists and get some vitamin C and zinc (redoxan do one). Take 2 a day until Friday (it's only supposed to be one a day, but 2 a day over a short period won't do you any harm). I started sneezing and feeling really 'heady' on Monday morning. I had 2 on Monday, 2 yesterday and today feel fine apart from the odd sniffle - that reminds me - must have another one now!

[goldheart]

All i wanna do is sleep but i cannot take time off work you see... its very ironic that I was off sick last week at work for a sore throat and earache, although it was only 2 days I felt rough I hadnt been off sick in about 18 months so I was persuaded to take the week off by a friend -  now its come back and bitten me on my bum because I  REALLY feel ill now!  That'll teach me!

Thanks all!! 

[spudqueen]

Sorry, it's Redoxon. If you have a sore throat try taking a garlic pearl. Hope you feel much better for the wedding.

ps get some of those tissues with balm then your nose won't get so sore!

[Little Lady]

Try putting some tea-tree oil or eucalyptus in the bowl with the hot water this will have much more benefits than just the hot water. Tea-tree is a natural antiseptic and antibiotic and eucalyptus is good for clearing your head. Hope this hepls a bit. If you decide to buy some essential oils to put in the water, make sure they have the latin name of the oil on the package as you then know this is 100% pure essential oil and it won't be mixed with anything.

[terrij]

goldheart..if you feel that ill i would go to the doctors and get some antibiotics....in three days (fri) they would have kicked in and you will feel much better.....ok so you have to be ill for 10 days before your doctor gives you anything ...tell him you have already felt rough for 7 !!!!!!.....it is always best for a doctor to see you especially with a cough and feeling breathless..... dont delay go to your doctors today......Then have a great time at the wedding .....all the best.

[flaming]

Yes steam inhalation is excellent for clearing 'the tubes'.  There are a few nice smelling helpful fume-y things you can buy to add to the water. Karvol is one, Olbas Oil is another. But dont do it less than half hour before you go out, as you will be really 'open' to other attacking germs.

For a 'wet' cold you can dry up quickly with an anti-histamin, I like neo-clarityn.  The non-drowsy making ones are only available on 'scrip though, so with the over-th-counter 'ordinary' ones you didn't ought to drive.

[flaming]

Oh I forgot - you should inhale for about 10 mins. per time.  The time-honoured method is over a bowl of hot water (with the additions?) and a towel over the head - well the nose/mouth area will do.  Chemists sell inhalers now so you could do it in a more tidy way, but really it's just something else to store.   Vit Cs: 100mg per day for a time, then drop it down to half.  Get Solgar's if you can.  Eat fruit and the lots of water advice is good. Not fizzy mineral though, or ice-cold, or your tum will get upset too!

[Noweia]

I had exactly the same thing over the last few weeks - earache and a sore throat, which seemed to resolve itself, then all of a sudden I developed bad chest pain, as if the muslces were very tight, with extreme tiredness, congestion, breathlessness and a cough!

I don't like going to the doctors so I sat it out, fortunately the worst of it didn't last too long! 

Painkillers helped with the muscle pain and stiffness, and make sure your drink plenty!  Try taking multivitamins for a few days, see if they help!

[smudge]

Hope you're feeling better today goldheart.

[Cockney_si]

Get a mug, put in it:

2x Teaspoons of Honey
1x Teaspoon of Curry Powder
1x teaspoon of sweet chilli sauce
add some pepper
add some hot water

Stir very well and sip slowly, ust don't guzzle it down.

The honey and sweet chiili sauce hide the other tastes and the curry and the chilli make your nose run and give your system a good clearout.

Failing that, go to an indian takeaway and have a chicken Madras.