Respiratory sickness

[Tetto]

So I’m sick, got it from my friend who got it from his daycare kid… It’s a persistent cough, really bad and my head is starting to hurt from coughing so much. Anyone sick with a fever, dizziness and mega cough? It won’t allow me to sleep either, cough cough cough…what did you guys do to help yourself through? I’ve taken mucinex and NyQuil. Nada

 

[Aerides]

Have you had flu/covid tests? If not, please do both asap.

 

[MRG]

Have you had flu/covid tests? If not, please do both asap.

+1

I lost a friend to the flu. Guy was 50 yo and too stubborn to get to urgent care.

 

[stepford]

There's this bug called HMPV (Human Meta Pneumovirus) that's making the rounds again. DW and I had it a few years ago (pre-COVID) - nasty flu-like symptoms like the OP describes that knocked us out for over a week. Not much to be done for treatment but fluids and rest.

 

[zaqxsw]

We both got something from a grandchild in mid-Nov. Not Covid, a cold, or flu. No real Norovirus symptoms. We are fully vaccinated with everything and are up to date.

It lasted for months with chronic coughing. Neither my DW nor I ever experienced it before. Now through most of January, I think we licked it.

We didn't see a health care provider as we definitely felt it was a virus and didn't want to get torn up by antibiotics for nothing.

 

[Tetto]

I did take a Covid test (negative) but not a flu test. I’ll get one tomorrow. Didn’t occur to me

 

[braumeister]

Sounds to me like a clear sign that you need to go to an urgent care shop ASAP.

 

[Aerides]

Sounds to me like a clear sign that you need to go to an urgent care shop ASAP.

exactly. When you can't sleep, you can't heal, no matter what it is. Most UC's by me are open till 8pm, in the OP's shoes I'd head to one now.

 

[Jerry1]

exactly. When you can't sleep, you can't heal, no matter what it is. Most UC's by me are open till 8pm, in the OP's shoes I'd head to one now.

Same here. Outside of having financial issues, I’ve never understood why people put off seeking medical advice/treatment. I figure the sooner I get help, the better. I understand that viruses pretty much have to run their course, but there are things you can do to help the process. My concern would be confirming that it’s not something else and not waiting until I’m obviously having difficulty breathing.

Personally, I go to a holistic doctor. At the first sign of illness, I go in for a vitamin IV. It doesn’t cure anything, but it gives your body what it needs to fight off the bug. It also injects fluid into the body as most people are dehydrated. Being immune compromised, I do everything I can the minute I feel like I’ve caught something. So far, he’s kept me from having to get more acute services and out of the ER.

 

[Tetto]

I’m going to go to the hospital walkin tomorrow and see what we’ve got it. It’s freezing here tonight and my fever is 100.2. I don’t want to do that! I’ll shiver like crazy

 

[target2019]

I think urgent care is warranted right now. We have several near us, and would use if the PCP is overly taxed

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Last year I had a terrible cough and the doctor prescribed a generic for Tessalon Perles. Tiny little capsules that worked really well. I still had some left over and used them on the cough I had last month and again they worked great. I did need to do a phone appointment with the doctor last month and ended with antibiotics since my cold/flu symptom kept lingering for weeks. Antibiotics solved the problem.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I think urgent care is warranted right now. We have several near us, and would use if the PCP is overly taxed

I agree, why does he keep putting it off? you should have different options for care, video visit, phone visit, or urgent care. Going to the hospital sounds costly if it's the emergency room and you might be there for hours, a cough is not a priority in the emergency room.

 

[Tetto]

I don’t feel badly enough to go to the emergency room; but urgent care opens tomorrow at 9am. I’m going then. Urgent care for non emergency stuff is closed at 5pm. Thank you for your comments, but I’m far from knocking on deaths door….This all hit me yesterday morning too,

 

[rk911]

Hospital...ASAP. Good luck!

 

[athena53]

Hospital...ASAP. Good luck!

I like the Urgent Care idea better. The hospital will triage and the OP may wait hours while they deal with gunshot wounds and potential heart attacks.

There's definitely something going around. Last month my 5-year old grandson caught the same bug that included a "barking" cough from his sister, then got listless and was breathing with groaning noises. DDIL rushed him to an UrgentCare where his blood oxygen was 90% (that was my reading when I was at altitude in Cuzco, Peru last year, not scary but definitely abnormal for a healthy 5-year old at sea level). They immediately took him in and started a nebulizer treatment and the effect was dramatic. An X-ray ruled out pneumonia. I was back last week and while he's about 95% better he's still congested.

 

[harllee]

OP get to the Urgent care as soon as possible it opens in the morning. There is a test now that checks for all three of the main viruses--Covid, Flu and RSV. If you have one of those get on the antiviral ASAP. In the meantime for the cough-- boil water and breathe in the steam or maybe stand in a hot show breathing steam. If you have an oximeter check your blood oxygen level and if is under 90 go to the emergency room now. Do you have a temperature? If so take tylenol. To be able to sleep tonight with the cough--this will sound strange but get something like Vicks Vapor rub and coat the bottom of your feet (wear socks ) and your chest before you go to bed. Also take Musinex for a cough. Good luck and report back to us in the morning after you go to urgent care.

 

[G POP]

I picked this up at Christmas from my granddaughter. Dry unproductive cough. No fever. O2 levels good. Just dry cough. I do have some congestion and some post nasal drip. I believe that is basically allergies though. Been to 2 urgent care walk ins. First was 2 weeks ago here locally. The 2nd was last week down in Aruba. Got antibiotics in Aruba. They said upper respiratory infection. Five days of drugs but I still don't feel right.

 

[Koolau]

DW was sick with something like a bad cold for a month. Did the CVS Covid test which was clear. She had no more than 100 degree temp at any time. But, coughing, sneezing, tired, etc. No major aches.

Never figured out what it was. We kept saying: Let's go see the doc but never did. It finally went away just as quickly as it came. I never got a sniffle from DW.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Definitely should go see a doctor asap. Feel better soon.

 

[rk911]

My wife had a bad respiratory thing several weeks ago...more than a cold. Rather than take her out in the cold we tried a Tele-Health visit. Big waste of time. That doc directed us to our med system's Urgent Care. We scored an appointment that same day. After an exam that doc said they were unable to "properly diagnose" the particular bug and directed us to the ER.

Rather than take her myself I had the local FD medics transport her to the ER thinking...hoping... that might speed up her getting into an exam room. She was pretty bad off...breathing difficulty and coughing. Her breathing is already compromised due to a problem wirh her diaphram.

She was admitted to an exam room immediately on arrival at the ER. Long story short she received Albuterol treatment (which really improved her breathing), an exam and chest x-ray and ultimately was diagnosed with Pneumonia. She was given the proper antibiotic and told to follow up with our primary doc and her pulmonologist.

We saw both the following day. The primary concurred with the Pneumonia diagnosis but the pulmonologist called it Bronchitis. No meds for that other than Tylenol and cough medicine but continue to take the anti-biotic because there was a slight chance he was wrong. Go home and rest. She was better a few days later and fully recovered a week after that.

Ths point? In my heart and head I knew the tele-health and urgent care visits were pointless and a waste of time but we did not relish sitting in the ER waiting room. That was foolish and could've put her in danger. Never again.

OP...don't screw around with this. Head to the ER and good luck.

 

[Sunset]

whooping cough was going around here, along with covid, flu and RSV.

Let us know what happens !

 

[target2019]

I agree, why does he keep putting it off? you should have different options for care, video visit, phone visit, or urgent care. Going to the hospital sounds costly if it's the emergency room and you might be there for hours, a cough is not a priority in the emergency room.

Individual Decisions may not be optimum. That's my first thought.

I did catch something from a birthday party in December. In my condition I should have masked up. I self medicated as symptoms persisted, to reduce the cough. Took Tylenol, etc. Saline spray.

I was watched very closely by family. But it was a mild sinus infection or moderate cold.

But that isn't a recommendation for others.

 

[badatmath]

There is a lot going around locally and from what I am seeing online there is no definite diagnosis. People are testing negative for covid/flu. I haven't had any issues myself but it is the season for it.

 

[harllee]

DH and I got Covid over 2 weeks ago (tested positive for Covid). I am over it but DH still has head congestion and stomach problems