Mom-ninja. Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 How long do coughs usually last? I'm heading into my third week of having a cough. I'm wondering if I should go to the Dr. at this point. The only reason I'm thinking of going is because I'm heading to my sister's house next week as she just had her baby today. I don't want to be contagious. Would a cough after 3 weeks still be contagious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 whooping cough can last and is very bad. Could be croup. Could even be allergies. After 3 weeks I would go though cause you never know. Mono can also take up to 4-6 weeks to really hit you but a cough is a good warning. I hate the doctor too not too mention the money spent but after 3 weeks I would go! Hope you feel better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 It could be. I had that terrible cold everyone is passing around and I coughed for THREE WEEKS. I thought I was going to barf up a lung at one point. My parents came over after the second week for Christmas. Everything was fine until about two weeks after. My mother came down with that cold, and is coughing like crazy. I was pumping oil of oregano every hour and it was still bad. No doctor visit for me, though, since it was only a cough from a cold. Just a bad one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Do you feel out of breathe or extra tired after walking around or up and down stairs? Could be walking pneumonia. I'd have a doctor check you out before visiting a newborn, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Yes, you should definitely be tested for whooping cough. Something like 20-30% of adults that have a cough longer than 2 weeks have whooping cough. You could still be contagious after 3 weeks, although by a month most people aren't contagious anymore. It can take several days to get the results, and then you would need to be on antibiotics for 5 days, so I would go in ASAP. If it isn't whooping cough, you could have one of many different viruses, and you could still be contagious at 3 weeks. Usually after that length of time, you aren't shedding much virus and aren't highly contagious, but I would stay away from a newborn if you have any symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Agreeing completely with Perry. No newborn should be around anyone with any cough. To be on the safe side, it would also be best to stay away from the immediate family members of the newborn too. Without testing, there's no way to confidently distinguish a garden variety cough from one that is caused by whooping cough. And since most adults and older children have lost their vaccine-acquired immunity to pertussis, exposure of a family member could lead to the baby getting sick too. (Boosters are now available for adults, but most insurance companies aren't reimbursing for them, so they may not be easy to obtain.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 It depends on the cough. Fever? Phlegm? Chest pain when inhaling? Deep cough - or one more in your throat? Coughing so badly that you A) can't catch yout breath, and B) sometimes gag yourself? Any of the above - you definitely need to go in. Also - it never hurts to get tested - but I think whopping cough would be pretty apparent... http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whooping-cough/DS00445 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 When I was very pg with my third baby, I had a cough that lasted for five weeks. It was not whooping cough, just a bad virus. I am not someone who usually coughs much, but I believe this hung around due to my being pg. I hardly slept. Tried two different prescription meds given to me by my OB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Also - it never hurts to get tested - but I think whopping cough would be pretty apparent... http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whooping-cough/DS00445 In teens and adults, the symptoms are usually milder, and only about 30% get the characteristic "whoop". So it's an easy diagnosis to miss in older people. It's usually pretty obvious in kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 :grouphug: I'd probably go see a doctor just to be sure the baby won't catch it. Hope you feel better soon! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 I feel absolutely fine. No congestion, no phlegm, no fever. It's a dry hacking cough. The irritation seems to come from my throat. I'm always trying to clear my throat. It feels like something is stuck there. I don't cough too much until I start talking. I can't talk without falling into coughing fits. My fil had a cough over Christmas when we were there. He had it for several weeks and then went to the Dr. last week. The Dr. just gave him an antibiotic but didn't test him for anything. I'm actually angry because *every* time we go to my in-laws someone there is sick, yet they don't tell us until after we get there. My sister has just had her first baby after a very long exhausting labor that ended in a c-section. She lives in another state. I've made reservations at hotels, made plans with my parents, etc. If it turns out that I cant go to her when she needs me I'm going to be very angry. I'm so angry. Is it wrong that I'm angry? I always get sick from my in-laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 When I was very pg with my third baby, I had a cough that lasted for five weeks. It was not whooping cough, just a bad virus. I am not someone who usually coughs much, but I believe this hung around due to my being pg. I hardly slept. Tried two different prescription meds given to me by my OB. I had this too when I was pg with my last child. I coughed so hard I thought I was going into labor. :001_huh: I had it for 2 weeks before baby and ended up coughing for 3 weeks after baby was born. It was just a stubborn cold that hung on for me. :glare: All the rest of my family was over it in no time. I thought I was going to go crazy but baby never got sick, thankfully. I'm actually angry because *every* time we go to my in-laws someone there is sick, yet they don't tell us until after we get there. My sister has just had her first baby after a very long exhausting labor that ended in a c-section. She lives in another state. I've made reservations at hotels, made plans with my parents, etc. If it turns out that I cant go to her when she needs me I'm going to be very angry. I'm so angry. Is it wrong that I'm angry? I always get sick from my in-laws. :grouphug:I'm so sorry. I'd be angry too. :grouphug: I hope you get this figured out so you can be with your sister and sweet new babe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I feel absolutely fine. No congestion, no phlegm, no fever. It's a dry hacking cough. The irritation seems to come from my throat. I'm always trying to clear my throat. It feels like something is stuck there. I don't cough too much until I start talking. I can't talk without falling into coughing fits. I had symptoms similar to yours in November and had it checked out by a NP after about three weeks, and it turned out that it was bronchitis. I also felt more tired than usual (probably because I would wake up due to coughing fits), and I was told that might last up to 5-6 weeks. I was just given a cough suppressant to use as needed at night. If I didn't have a really little one, I probably wouldn't have gotten it checked out, since I didn't feel truly horrible. But I was afraid I might pass it on if I didn't get it treated, so I made the appt. My understanding is that viral bronchitis can be contagious , so you might want to rule it out before you see the baby. Hope that things work out for you! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I feel absolutely fine. No congestion, no phlegm, no fever. It's a dry hacking cough. The irritation seems to come from my throat. I'm always trying to clear my throat. It feels like something is stuck there. I don't cough too much until I start talking. I can't talk without falling into coughing fits. I'd be angry too, although I think that Christmas trumps contagion warning but full disclosure should be made. Your cough sounds to me just like adult asthsma. I have those exact symptoms whenever I am finishing up a cold if I don't treat for it preventatively. It is easy to treat--there are inhalers that will clear it right up for you. I encourage you to see your doctor. If that is all it is, it's not contagious, and you can get well in less than a week. If I had a newborn and someone arrived coughing like that, I would be pretty upset unless they could honestly tell me that a medical professional had ruled out anything like whooping cough or anything else contagious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 I'm back from the Dr. My lungs are clear, but I have post nasal drip into my throat. She gave me a prescription for something like Mucinex. Told me to use the netti pot several times a day. She said if I'm not better by Sat to reconsider seeing my sister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 How long do coughs usually last? I'm heading into my third week of having a cough. I'm wondering if I should go to the Dr. at this point. The only reason I'm thinking of going is because I'm heading to my sister's house next week as she just had her baby today. I don't want to be contagious. Would a cough after 3 weeks still be contagious? Oh no, I'm sorry. And, this is not something I want to hear :001_smile: as I'm just now starting my 2nd week. I went to the dr yesterday and he prescibed tessalon (sp?) pearls, 200 mg. I've also taken codeine in the past to knock out my cough. I've had a fever and can't wait to break it. You probably should go to the dr. HTH. OK, I haven't been on the boards much in the last week. I see you went to the dr. Good, your lungs are clear. Mine are too. And, like your dr, mine also suggested mucinex. Additionally, he said I could try a saline spray and/or humidifier to help with my post nasal drip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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