Persistent cough for one and a half year after chest infecti

John1972 · Newbie Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

Hi,

I am a 34 years old male. In August 2005, I suffered from a severe chest infection which to me looked like any other flu-like illness. I had high fever of up to 104 degree Fahrenheit. Once I coughed and I noticed a blood streak in my sputum.

The doctor prescribed me Amoxicillin initially but it did not work and I went back to my doctor who changed the medicine to clarithromycin. This medicine seemed to work well and the fever came down to almost normal in 48 hours. I took the prescription for 7 days.

However, I had a nagging cough which did not go with some white sputum at times. I was told by the doctor that the cough will go eventually. But the cough did not go and I started having recurrent chest infections raising the body temperature again to about 102 or higher. I went back to my doctor and he gave me clarithromycin again which seemed to resolve the situation.

The doctor also ordered a chest x-ray which was normal. The cough would not go and I would get an infection with fever AFTER every 2-3 weeks, which would require antibiotics. All of the above was happening in the UK.

In February 2006, I traveled to India where the weather is much warmer and I noticed an improvement in my cough but it did not go away completely. The fever was gone and I thought it won’t come back. While I was in India, I again suffered from a fever April 2006 with the same symptoms like congestion in chest etc.

This time I decided to get myself examined by a chest specialist. After listening to my symptoms the specialist ordered a CT scan of the thorax. He also ordered some blood tests. I don’t think they found anything in either the CT or blood reports. I was told that due to recurrent chest infections, there are some small scars on my left lung. They said that this could happen when a person suffers from pneumonia which gets cured but as the lungs heal some scars are left. Those scars cause irritation and cough and could lead to frequent infections. They recommended an inhalator spray (which had some cartisones) which I took for sometime but it did not help much.

Then I shifted to homeopathic medication. I have been taking a cell salt called calcarea phosphate for about 4-5 months now (6x strength, 4 pellets, 3-4 time a day). So, what this has done is that it has gotten rid of the recurrent fever / infections. But the cough still remains. I am working in Canada right now which is again very cold. I still cough and occasionally produce some sputum white in color. The cough does not seem to get better.

The main symptom is that when I lie on my left side the cough gets aggravated. When I lie on the right side, it’s almost gone. I also hear a lot of sound of loose phlegm when I breathe in or out. When I get up in the morning there is no sign of the cough or the sound of phlegm – everything seems absolutely normal. But then as the day progresses and I start indulging in some physical activity, I can hear the sound of the phlegm as I breathe and then I cough as if to clear the throat. I seldom bring up anything.

I don’t have breathlessness. I am eating well. My weight has not gone down, but something that I notice is this (I may be wrong) – I am not gaining weight as I used to earlier. For example, I used to gain a lot of weight around my waist, which is not happening now. Although the weighing machine shows around 106 kg as opposed to 100 kg when I used to eat less an year ago (when I did not have this condition). I am eating more these days!

Also, I sometimes feel some kind of slight chest pain on the left side of my chest. Sometimes, I also feel little pain like in the little finger of my hand or foot, but then it goes away.

Any advice would be helpful since I have this cough for more than a year which could be irritating and cumbersome at times.

John

Guest · Guest

Hi John,

I was just reading your post and your condition is literally identical to mine (even down to the weight issues).

It's pretty annoying to have this persistent cough and not get any answers as to what's causing it. If anyone can shed any light or recommend a good remedy I'd be very impressed.

Rigs.

Guest · Guest

Hello john,
I was searching through the net if I could find any solution to my persistent cough... and I found your post... My problem is similar to your too. I have been having my cough for more than a year now. It gets worst when I am in front of a fan or an aircon, or when I have to talk for a long time then I also have the loose phlegm. I thought its because of my smoking habit... I quit smoking and its been 7 months now...but its the same.
I recently went to this Pulmonary doctor, as soon as he heard my complains he diagnosed it as acute bronchitis and gave me some medicines for a week to try. I have to go back after a week to report. He seemed pretty sure of my illness. Mind you, my chest x ray was clear too. I feel a bit better after taking that medicine. Its just been a day only.
Hope this helps. Take care!

Joe- T

Persistent cough for one and a half year after chest infecti

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK