EDIT: Self-diagnosing cough-- doctor'd, [thread ova]

Oboro

The sitch: About three and a half weeks ago, I had a rough-and-tumble cold; slight fever, sneezing, sore throat, cough-- the works. Suffered the throat with some lozenges, took amoxicillin for a week, ... things cleared up. Except for the cough.

It's progressed from an infrequent one to a fairly constant cough without any pain in the throat-- if I take a deep breath, I cough violently and there is pain in my upper abdomen/lower chest. The cough is often hacking, with a crackling and reverberating effect. I am not noticeably short of breath, but I am also hypotensive/anemic so I'm always short of breath.

I have no insurance, and if this doesn't sound serious and is just something I am going to suffer through for the duration of the winter I'm going to avoid the trip to the doctor if at all possible (I don't legally live in the county I am currently residing in, so I have no access to social services).

Also, for the record, I have no allergies and the house is gas-heated, with a humidifier.

EDIT: Oh, and my mother is a smoker and when I walked by a cigarette today I accidentally inhaled and it dramatically increased the ferocity of the cough and pains, but I mean that's what cigarettes do right

Seldom

er, possibly hooping cough?
i had it when i was a kid and all i can remember about it was that it lasted for about a month and i was caught with coughing fits that would almost make me gag. they were very frequent and i couldnt really breath in too deep, lest i start a fit.
i'm not a doctor and can barely remember all the symptoms from when i had it when i was kid, but you might look into it.

Deathwing

First, the obvious disclaimer - I am about the furthest thing possible from a medical professional, doing anything even vaguely dangerous based on my advice is probably insane.

That said....

if I take a deep breath, I cough violently and there is pain in my upper abdomen/lower chest.

I have asthma, and this is exactly what happens to me when it starts to get bad....Probably not what's going on with you though, if it only started after you got sick.

The cough is often hacking, with a crackling and reverberating effect.

Oh, and my mother is a smoker and when I walked by a cigarette today I accidentally inhaled and it dramatically increased the ferocity of the cough and pains, but I mean that's what cigarettes do right

Taken with the above, this sounds somewhat like bronchitis....which, given your situation as far as seeing a doctor, will probably only be cured by time and staying way the hell away from cigarette smoke as much as possible.

Oboro

So. Symptoms unchanging; persistent, dry, hacking cough. The cough is getting worse and more frequent, but I was spurred on by a third party to make another observation--

I have absolutely no difficulties while laying prone; face-up, or face-down. There is no coughing, and my respiration (insofar as I can tell) is perfectly regular.

I tried looking that little factoid up online, but the nature of searching is that it's imperfect-- especially on positive/negatives-- so all I was able to find information on was coughs that are worse while prone.

So. Does anyone have any ideas about whether this is at all relevant? Still haven't been to the doctor, and am moving cross-country this Saturday so if it's something that absolutely must be looked at, I have a window of opportunity on Friday--

otherwise, with all of the hullabaloo, it's doubtful it'd get addressed for at least a few weeks while I get situated in the new locale.

ege02

Well, do you know anyone with doctor parents maybe?

Oboro

At first I was going to dismiss that with the whole 'It's Christmas break! Where am I supposed to find friends!' and then realized that I have several hundred people all counted on various Internet buddy lists. Regardless of whether or not they are actually my friends, I guess they would be pretty hard-pressed to turn down this question if they could provide.

Good, outside the box suggestion ege. Asking around now.

Solandra

I came down with a similar crud a couple of weeks ago; the doctor who saw me told me that no matter what we did, I'd be down for 4 to 7 days, develop the cough and then not fully recover for 2-3 weeks after that. I figured I'd just not feel well for the 4-7, but wound up staying in bed for 3 days. I've managed to stay on top of the cough, but mostly because the doctor said "oh, you poor thing" and gave me the hydrocodone cough syrup rX and told me to fill it and use it when I got to the point that I needed it.

Bronchitis was suggested earlier, and I agree that your symptoms sound more consistant with that than whooping cough. I had bronchitis bad last spring, and wound up suffering asthema-like wheezing for almost a month after.

Rest. If you can see a doctor, do it. The pain in your ribs and abdomen can be symptomatic of pleuresy or pneumonia, and you do NOT want to fool around with either.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

Yeah Oboro, seriously, if you can find someone who will get you to a doctor, please do it.

Family friend of ours had a cough for a couple weeks that she just took some meds for and ignored, and then when she finally saw the doctor, turns it out was pneumonia. And then at the hospital, she got another infection, before the antibiotics kicked in, lungs collapsed... uh, the ending isn't happy. Young, healthy, 25 years old. So don't fuck around with this shit.

urahonky

Sounds like what I was doing, and it ended up being Asthma (as stated from someone above me). It got progressively worse over time, to a point where I was coughing so bad I felt light headed. I'm not sure how long it went from where you are to where I got, but I'd see a doctor soon if you can.

TL DR

At least go to a pharmacy. The guy in the lab coat? He's as good as a general MD.

A bronchodilator inhaler such as Primatine Mist could be helpful. Wikipedia on the active ingredient.

Another temporary measure could be to hang out in the bathroom for a bit with the shower on hot. The steam should help relieve some discomfort.

Oboro

Hurt and Burn wrote: »

Another temporary measure could be to hang out in the bathroom for a bit with the shower on hot. The steam should help relieve some discomfort.

Shower made me light-headed to the point of realizing that, on some infinitesimally small level, it taxes my body to see, and that if I stop seeing it will spare my brain some precious oxygen. In less flowery terms, I falled down and knockeded out. :P

Doctor's appointment is at 11AM tomorrow because the non-cough symptoms have dramatically spiked. I thank all of you and my doting and worried boyfriend for convincing me to put my health first.

AN H/A THREAD WHERE THE PERSON GOES TO THE DOCTOR IN THE END AFTER ALL

WHO KNEW

(a Christmas miracle)

TL DR

Hmm.

Sorry.

Doctor is a good idea at this point. :P

Oboro

Seldom wrote: »

er, possibly hooping cough?

How did you do this?

Pending blood work to confirm it, the winner is indeed pertussis. Medicated for it presently, just to be safe.

Seriously. I thought this was a cartoon illness.

Thanks to all who motivated me to go to the doctor. Thread comprete!