Bronchitis

[Terabith]

Sigh.  I finally got over hand foot and mouth, was healthy for about a week, and woke up Saturday with a bad cold.  But Sunday morning I had a fever and was achy, so I went to urgent care for a flu and strep test.  I’m student teaching in first grade and trying not to miss any school.  The verdict was bronchitis, and honestly, I’ve felt pretty miserable.  We had today off, but I’m coughing constantly and running a low grade fever, so I contacted the folks I am working with and they told me to stay home tomorrow so as not to spread it.  I feel guilty but relieved.  

I feel infinitely better laying down, but my coughing is much more productive if I’m upright.  

Tell me all your fastest ways to get over bronchitis.  Hoping I can be back at work by Wednesday.  

Edited January 22, 2019 by Terabith

[prairiewindmomma]

Albuterol inhaler

 

[Terabith]

Is there anything to be done about the headache/ body aches/ exhaustion/ fever  that seems to accompany it?

[Ellie]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

Sigh.  I finally got over hand foot and mouth, was healthy for about a week, and woke up Saturday with a bad cold.  But Sunday morning I had a fever and was achy, so I went to urgent care for a flu and strep test.  I’m student teaching in first grade and trying not to miss any school.  The verdict was bronchitis, and honestly, I’ve felt pretty miserable.  We had today off, but I’m coughing constantly and running a low grade fever, so I contacted the folks I am working with and they told me to stay home tomorrow so as not to spread it.  I feel guilty but relieved.  

I feel infinitely better laying down, but my coughing is much more productive if I’m upright.  

Tell me all your fastest ways to get over bronchitis.  Hoping I can be back at work by Wednesday.  

((((Terabith))))

I don't want to be a downer, but I've had bronchitis three times in the last five years. Only once of those three times was I up and around in a week. The other two I was down for a month. That one time was the only time that an antibiotic worked.

I have not heard of bronchitis having a headache/body ache, but then I'm not an expert. Exhaustion and fever, yes; headache/body ache, no.

[Terabith]

Doctor said it was triggered by a viral infection:  bad cold or flu like virus.  Was negative for flu. Very possible it’s the initial virus causing the flu like symptoms, I guess.  Dang.  I really really need to be functioning. Resigned to calling in sick tomorrow but have been counting on making it the rest of the week.  

I’ve been torn between staying in bed, which is where my body seems to want to be, or getting up and moving around, which encourages the productive cough that I know is important for getting all the junk out.  

[Terabith]

Would going to the sauna at the Y help or would that just spread germs?

[Terabith]

I don’t have chronic bronchitis.  I was fine Friday night and woke up feeling awful Saturday.  But I’ll read about them.  I think the issue is my immune system was weak from hand foot and mouth and then I started working in a first grade class with all their germs.  

[Shoeless]

Do not go to the Y.  If this is caused by a virus, you are potentially spreading that virus to other people who would use the sauna. 

You need to rest.  That's the fastest way to get over bronchitis, (but there's really no quickie cure for it). 

I get bronchitis often, (at least once a year), and feel worn out for 3-6 weeks.  I usually get the albuterol inhaler, a cough suppressant, antibiotics, and a steroid inhaler from my doctor.  I rest and drink a lot of lemon water to thin the mucus.  The antibiotics are a protective measure since my immune system is already weakened by the illness and then I'm getting steroids on top of that.   

[Terabith]

My doctor offered to call in an albuterol inhaler and cough suppressant for nighttime. I guess I will take her up on it.  Wasn’t sure if it was helpful.  She said to take mucinex or Robitussin to thin crud.  

How do you balance the need for rest with the fact that being up and moving helps you cough more and more effectively?   I definitely feel better resting, but I cough up much more stuff when I’m sitting up or moving around.  

I also just started my period, which means I’m going to be on ibuprofen pretty much around the clock.  May make it hard to tell if I still have a fever.  May have to just decide based on how I feel on the ibuprofen if I can go back Wednesday.  

Edited January 22, 2019 by Terabith

[Terabith]

And my oldest got up this morning looking as pale as a ghost and says her whole body hurts and she keeps alternating between being freezing and hot.  I sent her back to bed.  I feel a bit better; less congested and slightly less achy but very tired.  Think I’m going to also go back to bed.  

[Terabith]

Ugh.  I feel better in a lot of ways but I’m so completely wiped out of anything.  I can hardly stay awake.  

[PeterPan]

You need to sleep. This is a bad time of year.

[Terabith]

Would a tea and hot toddy be inappropriate at 11:30 am?  Actually, I make weird ones.  I make either chamomile or throat coat tea, add a ton of honey, some elderberry syrup, and a splash of whiskey.  

Edited January 22, 2019 by Terabith

[Ellie]

39 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Would a tea and hot toddy be inappropriate at 11:30 am?  Actually, I make weird ones.  I make either chamomile or throat coat tea, add a ton of honey, some elderberry syrup, and a splash of whiskey.  

I think it's appropriate at any time of the day if it helps you feel better.

You need to rest. Just stay down as much as possible. ((((Terabith))))

[prairiewindmomma]

Albuterol is a bronchodilator.  It allows those airways to reduce swelling, open up, and free yourself of the mucus.  I really encourage you to get the inhaler. 🙂

Throat coat tea is going to do more for you herbally than chamomile. The licorice, slippery elm, marshmallow, wild cherry bark....those are all good herbs for coughing and throat issues. I would not add honey or elderberry to the tea. Take them separately. Heat is going to kill the good stuff in your honey.  I'd also skip the whiskey. Alcohol suppresses the immune system.

Edited January 22, 2019 by prairiewindmomma

[prairiewindmomma]

Also, I'd avoid as much dairy and sugar as you can for the next several weeks and try to really get a lot of fruits and veggies in.  Your immune system sounds like it's taken quite a beating lately, and when my own immune system is that low, I need to be very careful with my nutrition to pull back out of the low point.

[prairiewindmomma]

Ugh. Finally, I'd take the elderberry every 2-3 hours....and the throat coat also, but try to hit alternate them...so every 1.5 hours take the elderberry and 1.5 later take the herbal tea. It's ok to do it that frequently when ill. Elderberry is a pretty darn effective antiviral.

[Terabith]

Just used last of elderberry but will try to get husband to pick more up later.  I don’t think I should be driving.  

[prairiewindmomma]

5 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Just used last of elderberry but will try to get husband to pick more up later.  I don’t think I should be driving.  

FWIW, our amazon prime now carries elderberry, as does our local grocery store delivery place. I don't know if those are options you use regularly, but I'd toss that out there if it is. Try to get the liquid rather than the powdered pill. I think there's some topical benefit to holding and swishing it in my throat before swallowing. 

[Garga]

I buy generic, so I’m not sure of the brand name, but here’s what I did with my bronchitis a month ago:

1.  Lots and lots of liquids.   

2.  Lots and lots of rest.  I had this over our Christmas break and had all sorts of projects planned to do around the house.  I felt no guilt in not doing any of them.  Sat on the couch watching tv a lot.

3.  Take the naps if you can without coughing.  Sit up or eventually stand and lean on things while you’re resting whenever you can to help with the congestion.

4.  Elderberry syrup at least 3 times a day.

5.  Vitamin C at least twice a day.

6.  In the daytime:  Mucus ER (generic name):  Guaifenesin is the medicine.  I took extended release pills during the day for 12 hours.  I got the 600 mg pill.  I’d gotten larger pills in the past, but could barely swallow them and would semi-panic every time I had to take them because I’d be afraid they’d get stuck in my throat.  If you can handle the higher dosage, go for it.

7.  At nightime:  Adult Tussin DM MAX (generic name) at night:  It’s more guaifenesin for the congestion, but also dextromethorphan as a cough suppressant.  I only take cough suppressants at night to get to sleep.  In the day, I want to be able to cough to loosen things.  However, bronchitis is usually a shallow cough that doesn’t do much good anyway, so it probably doesn’t hurt to use a suppressant for bronchitis.  This lasted only 4 hours at a time, so if I woke up in the night coughing, I’d take more if 4 hours had passed.

8.  I did not get a fever.  Just felt super run down and had congestion and a cough.  

9.  For good measure, because I had a slightly drippy nose, I also took a sinus congestion method around the clock:  generic:  Suphedrine PE (phenylephrine, 10 mg)  I didn’t want any congestion sitting anywhere in my body and causing sinus infections or pneumonia, so I kept up with decongestants round the clock.

My symptoms were cleared in 10 -14 days, which is the normal range for bronchitis.  And now I have to wait until summer to have time to paint the kitchen.  I was so looking forward to getting the kitchen painted over the Christmas break.  Stupid bronchitis.

Anyway...expect to be down for 2 weeks.  Droop around the house as much as you need to.  

A couple of nights, I slept propped up on the lazy-boy because lying flat made me cough too much.

[Terabith]

I absolutely cannot be down for two weeks.  I’m student teaching.  If I can physically manage to tough it out and my not super contagious with whatever, I have to be there so I can get credit and eventually start bringing in money.  I know ideally I would stay home and rest for a week to ten days, but it’s just not possible. That being said, headache just started back.  Even resting, I tend to feel better in the morning and sicker in afternoon/ evening.  I know it’s not ideal.  I just have to survive if at all possible.  

[prairiewindmomma]

Terabith, do you think your headache is sinus related (in which case Sudafed might help) or do you think it's more vascular (in which case caffeine might help)?

Are you having any nasal congestion, in which case a nasal spray like Flonase/fluticasone (generic) might help? It's over the counter now, and $7-10.?

I would try to get as opened up as you can so that you don't cross over into a secondary bacterial infection....

[J-rap]

My dd gets bronchitis every few years.  So, no antibiotic for you?  Although if it's viral and not bacterial, then an antibiotic wouldn't help.  I'd lie down if that feels good, but stay reclined;  do keep your head up higher than the rest of your body as much as possible.

Hot baths -- as hot as you can make them, and while there, keep resoaking a washcloth in the hot water and laying it across your chest.  Breathing in steam (even over the stove with a towel over your heard) might help.

The inhaler is a good idea.  My dd has a prescription on hand that she uses when she has bronchitis or a really bad cold.  Drink lots of liquids.  I love the tea and hot toddy idea!

Keep taking something for the body aches -- aspirin or tylenol, etc. 

This is my dd's first winter not in school and in a real job!  We'll see how it goes for her next time she's hit with bronchitis.  But generally, while in school, she's able to mostly keep up with her classes but then doesn't plan anything else at all.  It seems like it usually takes her a month or two before she's feeling back to normal again.  (But her energy level definitely improves during that time.)

Take care!

[Terabith]

I think the headache is just viral.  It starts up the same time as general body aches do.  I think it’s a remnant from the virus that triggered the bronchitis.  I do have sinus.  I’ve taken both Sudafed and Benadryl at different times for it.  It’s gradually lessening but not gone.  Flonase is a good idea.  I don’t think it’s vascular because I don’t drink caffeine regularly.  But possible I guess.  

[Terabith]

Hot bath is a glorious sounding idea !  Thanks!

[prairiewindmomma]

For the body aches you might try an epsom salt bath.  Use a really heavy amount of the magnesium---like 2-3 cupfuls for your bath.  

I'd take the Sudafed as regularly as you can until you feel completely over this.  I tend to get a secondary bacterial sinus infection after I get bronchitis.

I used to get bronchitis and pneumonia pretty regularly....I ended up getting pneumonia shots 5 years ago, and a booster this past year.  If you haven't had them, and you find that you are getting sick pretty regularly, I'd consider that also.  It's the same prevnar stuff that they give little kids now in their vaccinations.

[Terabith]

Yeah, it was weird.  Woke up free from headache and body aches and about an hour ago they hit back in full force.  I hadn’t taken anything for symptoms this morning because my oldest (who adores school) woke up saying her whole body hurts and she was alternating between being freezing and sweating), so I took her to the pediatrician this morning.  (Diagnosis upper respiratory infection). My guess is that like fever, the viral symptoms get worse as day goes on.  But I will go take Sudafed, ibuprofen, and an Epsom salt bath.  

[Terabith]

So, temp has mostly stayed under 99.5 today, so I think I’m going to try going back tomorrow.  I definitely don’t feel awesome but I’m better than I was, and I’m worried about getting behind.  Hopefully I’m not contagious.  

[Terabith]

Sigh. I felt pretty good most of the day napping and watching tv.  Got up, made dinner, and made a quick trip to the store and am feeling decidedly sick again.  Coughing constantly.  Fever back up.  I’d thought I could go back tomorrow but there’s absolutely no way.  I feel pretty awful.  Going back to bed and probably going to see about seeing GP tomorrow.  Pharmacy was unable to fill prescription for albuterol inhaler; said it won’t be available till Thursday or Friday, so that’s not helping.  Maybe doctor could get that straightened out.  Just so tired of this and tired of resting.  

[J-rap]

Well, it's a good sign that you felt pretty good most of the day.  When I'm recovering from something, I start feeling better during the day but then rundown and sick again at night.  I think that's pretty natural.  Get to bed early!  

[Terabith]

Yeah.  I just feel so miserable now.  And stupid.  It’s nothing in comparison to what other boardies are going through.  But I’m so anxious about needing to be able to be at work and I really feel awful.  Pondering going to GP tomorrow but not sure if it will help.  Other than that the pharmacy couldn’t fill inhaler and maybe somewhere else could.  I don’t know.  It’s stupid but I still feel like crying.  Just so tired and feel lousy.  And guilty for being sick.  

[PeterPan]

Can you talk through this with your student teaching supervisor? What are they saying happens if you need 1-2 weeks?

if you don't rest you can't get better and it slows down your healing. You should be fever free 24 hours to return. Says the woman who is currently flat on her back with a bug. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by PeterPan

[Ellie]

28 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

 Says the woman who is currently flat on her back with a bug. 

((((PeterPan))))

[PeterPan]

16 minutes ago, Ellie said:

((((PeterPan))))

Thanks. My lungs are doing great now that I have the Tamiflu so I'm hopeful. I was on antibiotics so many times last year, losing a month plus of my life every time, so this is way better! Besides when I finish this bug I'm going on my first cruise! 😁 Ds was done with Disney sniff so we're trying something new. His behaviorist wants him to travel so we're traveling! 😂That will give me lots of sun and fresh air to finish recovering. Perfect timing.

[fairfarmhand]

Do anything you can to get that inhaler. My son got bronchitis 2 times a year for many years and he’d cough for weeks before they prescribed an inhaler. 

[Terabith]

I went to family doctor today.  She said I absolutely could not return until Friday if I’m fever free but possibly not till Monday.  Sigh.  My advisor says we will work something out.  I just hate feeling irresponsible.  I got the inhaler and an antibiotic.  I was sitting in her office shivering.  She also prescribed a cough suppressant to help me sleep.  Rest, fluids, etc.  

I keep thinking maybe I’ll feel well enough to go back tomorrow but that’s probably not smart thinking.  Between the coughing and the headache and my skin hurting I didn’t really sleep last night.  Just took meds, elderberry syrup, and an Epsom salt bath and climbed back into bed.  I feel wrung out.  

[Ellie]

8 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I went to family doctor today.  She said I absolutely could not return until Friday if I’m fever free but possibly not till Monday.  Sigh.  My advisor says we will work something out.  I just hate feeling irresponsible.  I got the inhaler and an antibiotic.  I was sitting in her office shivering.  She also prescribed a cough suppressant to help me sleep.  Rest, fluids, etc.  

I keep thinking maybe I’ll feel well enough to go back tomorrow but that’s probably not smart thinking.  Between the coughing and the headache and my skin hurting I didn’t really sleep last night.  Just took meds, elderberry syrup, and an Epsom salt bath and climbed back into bed.  I feel wrung out.  

Girl, you are not going back to work this week. *Maybe* Monday.

Bronchitis is heavy stuff. Stay home. Rest. Take your meds. Get better.

It is not your fault that you cannot go to work. Bronchitis is no respecter of persons.

[Terabith]

Okay.  It helps to hear this.  I’ve been so caught up in worrying about what people think and not getting behind, but the reality is I’m exhausted and feel like crap.  I think I probably do just need to take the time and hope I don’t get sick again.   But honestly, I just want to sleep.  I don’t feel like reading.  I don’t feel like watching tv.  It feels like trying to recover from both a tummy bug and the flu at the same time.  Utterly drained.  I don’t want to be melodramatic or anything.  I’m just not sure this is something I can reasonably push my body on.  I’m trying to eat healthfully but my appetite is pretty much nonexistent.  

[fairfarmhand]

5 hours ago, Terabith said:

Okay.  It helps to hear this.  I’ve been so caught up in worrying about what people think and not getting behind, but the reality is I’m exhausted and feel like crap.  I think I probably do just need to take the time and hope I don’t get sick again.   But honestly, I just want to sleep.  I don’t feel like reading.  I don’t feel like watching tv.  It feels like trying to recover from both a tummy bug and the flu at the same time.  Utterly drained.  I don’t want to be melodramatic or anything.  I’m just not sure this is something I can reasonably push my body on.  I’m trying to eat healthfully but my appetite is pretty much nonexistent.  

Sleep. That’s what you need to do. Your body is telling you how to get well, you just need to listen.

the older I get the more I am likely to make everything come to a screeching halt when I start getting sick. And I’ve noticed something. I get better faster when I do this.

rest. It will be ok.

[PeterPan]

12 hours ago, Terabith said:

My advisor says we will work something out.  I just hate feeling irresponsible.

You're not the only one to have this happen. The semester is young. They can get in your hours somehow if you rest NOW and get better.

The irresponsible thing would be going in when you're sick and making little kids sick. Those little kids could have asthma, etc. Going in sick would be entirely irresponsible. Going to bed and staying there till you're well per your doctor or sane observation is the responsible thing to do. 

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

But honestly, I just want to sleep.

That's why they gave you the antibiotic and cough syrup, because you're toast. If you go to bed NOW and sleep, in about a week you'll start to perk up. Do nothing until then. Just sleep and sip broth. 

I'm sorry you're so sick. I'm glad she gave you more meds to get you through this. It did sound like it had turned beyond viral. I always get that hit by a mack truck feeling when things go bacterial. So hopefully in a week or so the situation will turn around a bit. 

[PeterPan]

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

I’m trying to eat healthfully but my appetite is pretty much nonexistent.

Nope, just sip broth. Your body is trying to put the energy into healing, which is why your appetite is gone. Forcing your body to eat is distracting energy that should go to healing. You probably have some, ahem, fat reserves on you. I always do, haha. Sip broth, coconut water, easy gentle things. Cans of chicken wild rice soup and just eat a little as you feel up to it. Your appetite will return in a few days. 

Do you have Florastor? It's safe to take while you're on the antibiotic. If you don't have it, have someone run and get it for you.

[Arcadia]

12 hours ago, Terabith said:

  I got the inhaler and an antibiotic.  I was sitting in her office shivering.  She also prescribed a cough suppressant to help me sleep.  Rest, fluids, etc.  

 

Do you have a bed wedge (e.g. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/brookstone-reg-4-in-1-bed-wedge-pillow/3308773) ? Resting with head and shoulders alleviated is helpful for me when I have too much phlegm. My DS13 needed a bed wedge from time to time since he was a newborn. DS14 makes one from his stockpile of pillows.

I was going to suggest going to urgent care for the inhaler if your doctor/pharmacy ran out of supplies. My friend was loaned a nebulizer machine for her young son and it helped him recover faster then using just the inhaler with the spacer.

[Shoeless]

10 hours ago, Terabith said:

Okay.  It helps to hear this.  I’ve been so caught up in worrying about what people think and not getting behind, but the reality is I’m exhausted and feel like crap.  I think I probably do just need to take the time and hope I don’t get sick again.   But honestly, I just want to sleep.  I don’t feel like reading.  I don’t feel like watching tv.  It feels like trying to recover from both a tummy bug and the flu at the same time.  Utterly drained.  I don’t want to be melodramatic or anything.  I’m just not sure this is something I can reasonably push my body on.  I’m trying to eat healthfully but my appetite is pretty much nonexistent.  

No one is going to think you are irresponsible or lazy when they hear that you were out with bronchitis.  They are going to think "Oh wow, that's awful.  I hope she feels better quickly, because bronchitis is the worst!"

You aren't being melodramatic.  Bronchitis is serious.  Please stop trying to prove that you can get up and do things.  Just sleep!  Drink fluids.  Use the inhaler.  If you do all those things, you'll feel a heck of a lot better by Monday. 

[Terabith]

Okay.  Sleeping it is.  Definitely have fat reserves.  Someone could make money delivering sick people food the way they do pizza.  Standing up to make soup or jello or hell, even toast just sounds exhausting. (Although I do need to get up a few times a day to more effectively cough the junk out of my lungs.)

I definitely don’t want to infect my class.  I’ve got a big pile of pillows.  That helps sleeping but not coughing up stuff.  I’m running a humidifier.  I have a hard time judging when something is viral or bacterial.  I think frankly she’s just guessing. My blood tests from urgent care Sunday indicate viral, but I’m just not really perking up.  Cough medicine is because between the coughing and how achy I felt/ how much my head hurt, I just couldn’t sleep. They gave me a shot for the headache and I came home and napped for four hours.  

I have been taking a lot of baths and showers for the steam.  Not that we get that much steam but it’s something.  I’m putting Vick’s on my chest.  I’ve been loving a wet washcloth on my forehead, both for headache and for fever.  It feels dramatic and silly but feels so good.   

Edited January 24, 2019 by Terabith

[Terabith]

I slept well mostly and long.  Woke up coughing and almost delirious with exhaustion.  Fever is back.  I think I need to go back to bed. 

[brehon]

Having had a case of bronchitis which lasted way, WAY longer than it should have, please listen to your body and rest. 

The more you try do and go when you’re feeling “better”, the longer this is going to last. That “feeling better” sensation is an easy trap to fall into. Don’t succumb to it. 

It’s probably been six years since that horrendous case of bronchitis and I now have some permanent lung damage. It’s solely because I didn’t take the time to truly rest when I should have. 

(((Terabith)))

[Terabith]

Yeah, the headache shot they gave me wore off.  It was keeping the body aches/ flu feeling at bay.  Now I just feel exhausted and sick, which I guess is the case and makes it easier to sleep.  And also very very sleepy, which is better than when I was sleepy but couldn’t sleep because of coughing and what not.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Terabith

[Terabith]

Sigh.  I don’t think I’m going to be ready to return to work tomorrow.  I’m still very tired and weak, coughing up a storm, and running a low grade fever even on Tylenol and ibuprofen.  Hopefully Monday will be okay and nobody will be mad.  

[Garga]

16 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Sleep. That’s what you need to do. Your body is telling you how to get well, you just need to listen.

the older I get the more I am likely to make everything come to a screeching halt when I start getting sick. And I’ve noticed something. I get better faster when I do this.

rest. It will be ok.

 

Yup.  I deliberately act like a stereotypical man when I'm sick:  In the bed, moaning, letting the family wait on me.  I do not like the idea of being Super Mom who lets her body fall apart and is sick for weeks longer than necessary.  I listen to my body and don't push it.  I let it heal. I am vigilant about taking meds and resting.  I get better faster. 

5 hours ago, brehon said:

Having had a case of bronchitis which lasted way, WAY longer than it should have, please listen to your body and rest. 

The more you try do and go when you’re feeling “better”, the longer this is going to last. That “feeling better” sensation is an easy trap to fall into. Don’t succumb to it. 

It’s probably been six years since that horrendous case of bronchitis and I now have some permanent lung damage. It’s solely because I didn’t take the time to truly rest when I should have. 

(((Terabith)))

 

Yeah, I'm not sure what I did to my lungs a few years ago, but I couldn't laugh for years without coughing as an aftereffect of the illness.  And still, every single night right before I fall asleep, I get a tiny coughing fit.  I'd never had that before my bronchitis/pneumonia episode years ago. But every night, juuuuust when I'm falling off to sleep:  cough cough.  For that episode all those years ago, I did NOT treat it well.  I pushed through.  I should have been pulling out all the meds and the albuterol and resting.  

Here.  Be the man.  If you can get someone in the house to call you a poor little bunny, it really does make you feel better for just a second or two.  🙂

 

[Terabith]

Coughing so much I feel nauseous and exhausted and keep vacillating between being freezing and burning up.  Pondering going and napping on the floor of the bathroom in case all the coughing leads to vomiting.  Sigh.  This is pathetic.