Respiratory sickness

[EastWest Gal]

I lived this experience as a pediatrician early in my practice. An ER visit is not warranted, but Urgent Care may be helpful.

"Cold" viruses include 4 types of non-Covid corona viruses, adenovirus, and metapneumonia virus, along with others.

Metapneumonia virus is common and not serious. Specific diagnosis is not usually pursued.
RSV-lasts longer, is a problem for young infants and older folks. In 2023 the vaccine was recommended for those over 60, but was changed to over 75 in 2024. Diagnosis is not generally pursued in young and middle aged adults, as there is no specific treatment.
Flu-usually a short-lived illness but intense with high fever and body aches.
Sinusitis may follow a cold. May or may not have fever. In my late 20s I had chronic and repeated sinus infections. Saline nasal washes and courses of antibiotics were helpful, as well as Tessalon PearlsHoarseness, frequent, sleep disruptive cough, a few times I coughed so hard I broke capillaries in my conjunctivae and face. Symptoms may include tenderness between the eyebrows, over the cheeks near the nose and the upper teeth. Often with thick postnasal drip. Cough is a prominent symptom. and sometimes hoarseness.

If you have sinusitis or a virus, ask for symptomatic relief for the cough. Diphenhydramine or dextromethorphan at night can be helpful. A nice prescription medication for an irritant cough is Tessalon Pearls, which is underutilized. It works on the cough receptors in the bronchial tubes.

Last, see if you are wheezing-take a big breath and blow out hard. Any whistling sounds? Temporary use of an inhaler may ease the cough somewhat.

Good luck.

The bill will be in the mail...(just kidding).

 

[Dtail]

So any update today?

 

[Rianne]

I lived this experience as a pediatrician early in my practice. An ER visit is not warranted, but Urgent Care may be helpful.

"Cold" viruses include 4 types of non-Covid corona viruses, adenovirus, and metapneumonia virus, along with others.

Metapneumonia virus is common and not serious. Specific diagnosis is not usually pursued.
RSV-lasts longer, is a problem for young infants and older folks. In 2023 the vaccine was recommended for those over 60, but was changed to over 75 in 2024. Diagnosis is not generally pursued in young and middle aged adults, as there is no specific treatment.
Flu-usually a short-lived illness but intense with high fever and body aches.
Sinusitis may follow a cold. May or may not have fever. In my late 20s I had chronic and repeated sinus infections. Saline nasal washes and courses of antibiotics were helpful, as well as Tessalon PearlsHoarseness, frequent, sleep disruptive cough, a few times I coughed so hard I broke capillaries in my conjunctivae and face. Symptoms may include tenderness between the eyebrows, over the cheeks near the nose and the upper teeth. Often with thick postnasal drip. Cough is a prominent symptom. and sometimes hoarseness.

If you have sinusitis or a virus, ask for symptomatic relief for the cough. Diphenhydramine or dextromethorphan at night can be helpful. A nice prescription medication for an irritant cough is Tessalon Pearls, which is underutilized. It works on the cough receptors in the bronchial tubes.

Last, see if you are wheezing-take a big breath and blow out hard. Any whistling sounds? Temporary use of an inhaler may ease the cough somewhat.

Good luck.

The bill will be in the mail...(just kidding).

Thank you, it's nice to know we have a doc in our forum. I've found the ER is not a place to go. There are many more viruses hanging around that could end up creating a worse situation. One night in December there was a 6+ hour wait time. We walked out. We found a convenient care in the main hospital that no-one goes to! It's hard to park, and a process through specific doors to get in. But the most people in the waiting room in my 3 visits there, were one person ahead of me. They're open 7am - 7pm/7 days a week. My wait time to see a doc...under 10 minutes.

 

[braumeister]

So any update today?

Patience. There are still a few forum members who haven't scolded him yet.

 

[Tetto]

Update: went to urgent care this morning and was tested for Covid and flu. I had Flu type A. Apparently it’s everywhere right now. So, the doc prescribed me the tessalon pearls and a cough medicine for night time. She was young, and when I asked if it was Codeine based cough syrup, she laughed! All you older folks are always asking for that! I guess it’s something found to be not good for us, and no longer used. And i do feel better today

 

[Aerides]

Update: went to urgent care this morning and was tested for Covid and flu. I had Flu type A. Apparently it’s everywhere right now. So, the doc prescribed me the tessalon pearls and a cough medicine for night time. She was young, and when I asked if it was Codeine based cough syrup, she laughed! All you older folks are always asking for that! I guess it’s something found to be not good for us, and no longer used. And i do feel better today

Codeine is a narcotic/opiate and a controlled substance, which urgent care cannot prescribe.

 

[Tetto]

I lived this experience as a pediatrician early in my practice. An ER visit is not warranted, but Urgent Care may be helpful.

"Cold" viruses include 4 types of non-Covid corona viruses, adenovirus, and metapneumonia virus, along with others.

Metapneumonia virus is common and not serious. Specific diagnosis is not usually pursued.
RSV-lasts longer, is a problem for young infants and older folks. In 2023 the vaccine was recommended for those over 60, but was changed to over 75 in 2024. Diagnosis is not generally pursued in young and middle aged adults, as there is no specific treatment.
Flu-usually a short-lived illness but intense with high fever and body aches.
Sinusitis may follow a cold. May or may not have fever. In my late 20s I had chronic and repeated sinus infections. Saline nasal washes and courses of antibiotics were helpful, as well as Tessalon PearlsHoarseness, frequent, sleep disruptive cough, a few times I coughed so hard I broke capillaries in my conjunctivae and face. Symptoms may include tenderness between the eyebrows, over the cheeks near the nose and the upper teeth. Often with thick postnasal drip. Cough is a prominent symptom. and sometimes hoarseness.

If you have sinusitis or a virus, ask for symptomatic relief for the cough. Diphenhydramine or dextromethorphan at night can be helpful. A nice prescription medication for an irritant cough is Tessalon Pearls, which is underutilized. It works on the cough receptors in the bronchial tubes.

Last, see if you are wheezing-take a big breath and blow out hard. Any whistling sounds? Temporary use of an inhaler may ease the cough somewhat.

Good luck.

The bill will be in the mail...(just kidding).

Thanks for the breakdown! I turned the corner this morning at about 6am, I started sweating profusely, and continued doing so for about two hours. Then it stopped suddenly and I began feeling much better. No worries about the bill, the check will be in the mail…

 

[Tetto]

Codeine is a narcotic/opiate and a controlled substance, which urgent care cannot prescribe.

Didn’t know that.

 

[Jerry1]

Update: went to urgent care this morning and was tested for Covid and flu. I had Flu type A. Apparently it’s everywhere right now. So, the doc prescribed me the tessalon pearls and a cough medicine for night time. She was young, and when I asked if it was Codeine based cough syrup, she laughed! All you older folks are always asking for that! I guess it’s something found to be not good for us, and no longer used. And i do feel better today

Glad you went and have turned the corner. Not sure why the doctor laughed at the question about codeine. I’d ask because I won’t take it. That stuff is so constipating, it’s not worth taking. Anyway, keep up the extra fluids and rest and hope you feel well soon.

 

[iloveyoga]

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

Sometimes they can give you some good cough medicine.

 

[harllee]

Tetto glad you went to urgent care and got tested and some meds. Also glad you are feeling better!

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Update: went to urgent care this morning and was tested for Covid and flu. I had Flu type A. Apparently it’s everywhere right now. So, the doc prescribed me the tessalon pearls and a cough medicine for night time. She was young, and when I asked if it was Codeine based cough syrup, she laughed! All you older folks are always asking for that! I guess it’s something found to be not good for us, and no longer used. And i do feel better today

I'm definitely not one asking for Codeine, it makes me so sad and depressed I cry all the time that I'm taking it. Took me a few years to figure out what the problem was. Glad you hear you're a bit better.

 

[Tetto]

Apparently is was the gold standard for cough medicine back in the day, glad it’s gone. Imagine they put 9 milligrams of cocaine into every Coke bottle back in the 20’s! Drink coke! You’ll feel wonderful!

 

[Pluperfect]

Codeine is a narcotic/opiate and a controlled substance, which urgent care cannot prescribe.

Don't be too sure.

That's what I was told at the urgent care I went to a year ago and asked for Tussionex (the delicious codeine cough syrup (pina colada!) that I was prescribed years ago when I had pneumonia--I loved it so much I imprinted the name in my brain). She said the only way to get it was to go to a regular doctor or the ER. She prescribed those paralyzing pills, and I didn't even fill that prescription because I got prescribed those at a different urgent care a few years prior, and they don't work for me. And I'm apparently not alone--I found some online discussions that said they were basically a consolation prescription for dragging your ass to a doctor. That's my take, too.

Then I got the crud again last month and went to a different urgent care (this time in Colorado, not Texas, if that matters). I said my cough was killing me and asked for Tussionex. She ended up giving me a prescription for cough syrup with codeine but it has a bittering agent in it so it doesn't taste like a pina colada. But it's most definitely a narcotic and I most definitely got it at an urgent care place.

I asked for a paper prescription, since I travel and wasn't familiar with the pharmacy options nearby. She refused, so I asked her to call it in to Kroger (King Soopers), and she said they don't carry it because it's a narcotic. The only option she gave me was Walgreens, but Walgreens wasn't in network on my Medicare Part D plan.

I got it at Walgreens anyway, just to get my hands on the stuff. And with it, I was able to sleep. We live in a motorhome traveling around, and it's impossible to get far enough away from somebody coughing for the non-cougher to be able to sleep, never mind the cougher.

It turned out I had RSV, but RSV is basically like a cold, so you just have to wait it out. Which I did. I laid around for one day and then felt better, and the cough stuck around for exactly one month, like it always does.

I was mindful not to use up the entire bottle of cough syrup because having some on hand means I don't have to go to Urgent Care next time to TRY to get some--I still don't know why I could get it this time but not last time.

To make it more annoying, both of these Urgent Care visits were at the very end of December, and I hadn't even met my Part B deductible yet. That hurts. But it hurts less if I can treat it with codeine and sleep.

 

[badatmath]

These tessalon perles or whatever they are called don't work for me either but as I rarely get anything like that it hasn't made a big difference. I go years between colds and what not. I don't think I'm especially resilient just not social enough to catch a lot of stuff I guess.

 

[Rianne]

Codeine is a narcotic/opiate and a controlled substance, which urgent care cannot prescribe.

I have codeine as an allergy on my medical records. It has the opposite affect on me. Instead of feeling drowsy and pain free, it feels like I've had 10 pots of coffee and I could run a marathon.

 

[swakyaby]

OP, just wondering if you received the flu vaccine when it became available in the fall. No judgement here, just wondered if it failed to protect you if you had received it.

 

[Tetto]

OP, just wondering if you received the flu vaccine when it became available in the fall. No judgement here, just wondered if it failed to protect you if you had received it.

I did not. Apparently it would have not protected as it’s the wrong strain for current flu going around and the one that got me

 

[Lewis Clark]

OP, just wondering if you received the flu vaccine when it became available in the fall. No judgement here, just wondered if it failed to protect you if you had received it.

Not the OP. My wife got her flu shot in early November 2024. She was diagnosed with the flu less than two months later on New Year's Day. Her cough became severe and her fever exceeded 103 degrees.

I'd say the flu shot didn't help her much this year.

 

[Pluperfect]

I know someone who got the flu shot and got very sick from the flu in December. Maybe it's just one of those years.

When I got diagnosed with RSV, I was kicking myself for not getting the vaccination. But when I was standing at the counter at Walgreens waiting on my cough medicine, I was looking at all the stuff around the register because I don't have a smart phone to occupy me, and I noticed a post-it note that said RSV vaccines are only for 75 and older, or 60 with chronic conditions (or some other term).

I got home and looked it up and sure enough, I didn't qualify for the RSV vaccine, so I quit kicking myself. And indeed, my RSV was no worse than a cold. Except for that damn cough.

 

[aja8888]

I gave up on flu shots about 30 years ago and have not had the flu since that last shot. Could be I am lucky!

 

[Route246]

I have something strange for the past two weeks but seems to be getting better the past three days.

• Nothing bad enough to keep me home from work
• No fever
• Negative COVID tests
• Minor muscle and joint aches but nothing debilitating
• No cough but very slight phlegm buildup causing me to clear my throat
• Last few days when it seems to improved a light sore throat but nothing painful
• Nose clear, sense of smell sharp the whole time but some nasal drip and very slight amount of mucous which clears out when I flow my nose
• Slight enhanced tinnitus, seems related to ENT issue, but nothing debilitating
• Reduction in appetite but no stomach or digestive issues, otherwise normal

My wife and son both preceded me with something but they had coughs and nasal congestion and felt sick enough to stay in bed for about two days and then they quickly improved. Mine has been lingering but with much more mild symptoms.

One more item is Tylenol wipes out all symptoms and discomfort for me to the point of only feeling slightly off, slightly tired. I took Tylenol for two days straight when my muscle aches were pretty bad and actually felt the best when Tylenol was working. For the past three days, no Tylenol at all.

Their's was a little more like a cold but only lasted a week. Mine is barely like a cold but has persisted two weeks. Co-workers have also had varying colds and flu. For the record I have not missed any work days for the past 15 years so I'm either sick on the weekend or pretty much healthy most of the time. My wife says I have a freakish immune system like my late father had.

I have had all possible COVID shots including one a few months ago, RSV shot but no flu shot this year because the CVS I was at ran out that day and I never bothered to go back.

I feel like I'm getting slightly better now but still a off. Not sure what to make of this.

 

[Koolau]

I gave up on flu shots about 30 years ago and have not had the flu since that last shot. Could be I am lucky!

I've been taking the flu shot since its inception and never had the flu. Of course, I never had the flu during the big pandemics of 1957 and 1968. "Born" immune?? No idea. My mom had the 1918 flu. Could that have imparted immunity to her baby boy? No idea.

 

[audreyh1]

I had pretty bad bronchitis with coughing the first 3 weeks of Dec. Two COVID tests well spaced completely clear (negative). I’d never had bronchitis before and never that much coughing. Finally got some expectorant and cough syrup and that cleared up most of the symptoms. But it pretty wiped out the first 3 weeks of Dec, I just couldn’t do much.

Unfortunately DH caught it from me about a week later.

No fever.

 

[Twilo123]

other half and I have something similar. neg on covid and flu.
while care said i have no fever during the day at night i am having chills today. the rest is pretty much same as you described. slight throat and breathing pressers, minor aches, etc.
apn thinks it is a cold but never had chills off a cold before. all vitals came back normal during the day. wondering how long this will take. something defo going around.

I have something strange for the past two weeks but seems to be getting better the past three days.

• Nothing bad enough to keep me home from work
• No fever
• Negative COVID tests
• Minor muscle and joint aches but nothing debilitating
• No cough but very slight phlegm buildup causing me to clear my throat
• Last few days when it seems to improved a light sore throat but nothing painful
• Nose clear, sense of smell sharp the whole time but some nasal drip and very slight amount of mucous which clears out when I flow my nose
• Slight enhanced tinnitus, seems related to ENT issue, but nothing debilitating
• Reduction in appetite but no stomach or digestive issues, otherwise normal

My wife and son both preceded me with something but they had coughs and nasal congestion and felt sick enough to stay in bed for about two days and then they quickly improved. Mine has been lingering but with much more mild symptoms.

One more item is Tylenol wipes out all symptoms and discomfort for me to the point of only feeling slightly off, slightly tired. I took Tylenol for two days straight when my muscle aches were pretty bad and actually felt the best when Tylenol was working. For the past three days, no Tylenol at all.

Their's was a little more like a cold but only lasted a week. Mine is barely like a cold but has persisted two weeks. Co-workers have also had varying colds and flu. For the record I have not missed any work days for the past 15 years so I'm either sick on the weekend or pretty much healthy most of the time. My wife says I have a freakish immune system like my late father had.

I have had all possible COVID shots including one a few months ago, RSV shot but no flu shot this year because the CVS I was at ran out that day and I never bothered to go back.

I feel like I'm getting slightly better now but still a off. Not sure what to make of this.