Still coughing....not feeling great.

[Mandarra]

So it has been a month since the doctor said pneumonia..ten days of antibiotics did not do much I think. The cough is better but still here. It hurts to cough. I am worried. How long does it take to clear up and why has it not yet? I don't know if my chest feels heavy bwcause I'm scared or if somthing else is going on. I am definately off. My last chest xray was 5 years ago. I am too frig
htened to go back to the doctor. Do you think I am fighting a virus?

[ElizabethJane]

Please go back to see your GP. You might need another course of antibiotics? I am not your doctor but know how tiring a persistent cough can be. He might suggest intravenous antibiotics and I know of someone who had this last year and is now completely recovered. Be not afraid. EJ.

[Mandarra]

Really not what I want to do. I am terrified of doctors and what they have to say.

[Anxious_gal]

It's much better to go back now rather than wait and have things potentially get worse.
If it hasn't cleared up you might get more antibiotics, something maybe to help stop the cough.
A cough can take a long while to leave, when I had a chest infection it took forever for the cough to fully clear up.

Is it a dry cough or wet and what coloour is the stuff you cough up?
Does it hurt to take a deep breath?
How often are you coughing?

A cough can hurt your muscles, I often end up with a sore back and sore tummy from the force of the coughing.

[Mandarra]

Hi Anxious....thank you for responding. My chest muscles hurt when I cough yes. It is nbetter but still here. I don't see what comes up...sometimes wet sometimes dry. I hear that crackle in my chest . I don't have fever. Sometimes I feel perfectly fine....then I cough and the tight chest happens and I get frightened.

[Anxious_gal]

It's great you don't have a fever!
Maybe get a cough bottle to help clear your chest?
You need to cough up all the stuff, since you hear that noise in your chest.
Same happened to me with my chest infection/bronchitis.
My chest would tighten up a lot it was scary.
My doctor gave me an asthma inhalour which helped.
I would get bad coughing fits n feel very dizzy n I would have to to try to inhale air through my nose while coughing as It was hard to catch my breath when I had a bad coughing fit.

Raw garlic has an antibiotic like effect, you can buy it as a tablet too.

[Mandarra]

You make me feel better, thank you. :winks: It is hard to think rationally when I am obsessing. I think that it is just taking a long time to pass, if it was something sinister I would be getting worse, I am not, it is just taking it's time and slowly improving. I wish I didn't need so much reasurrance, but I do.
Thanx again.

Hugs to you.

[Anxious_gal]

Aw you're welcome :)
Yes it can be hard to tell when you are over worrying!