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[Katejo]

I have had a cold since the very beginning of April. It started with a slight sore throat but took quite a while to build up and has never been bad enough to keep me off work though I did consider cancelling a holiday at 1 point. I went on the trip and suffered a bit during the first week but felt better during the 2nd week. I keep thinking that it has almost cleared up and then it comes back again the following week and takes me by surprise. This pattern has repeated about 4 times.  I am slightly bunged up, slight temperature some of the time, mild headache occasionally, occasional sneezing and a cough which was never bad but doesn't want to clear. Has anyone else had something similar? One colleague has so i wonder whether others have had such a long lasting one?

[Witches Cat]

Hi Katejo,  join the club, I had exactly the same, 3 times I thought I had it on the run but back it came. The cough was awful, once you start to cough it sort of got you like you were going to be sick and you drool so badly... I kept having to hang my head over the wash basin. For several years we've had the flu jab, but the last two I've had a cold about a month or two later and boy does it hang around. Maybe won't have the jab this year, but hubby says "Imagine what it might have been like if you hadn't had it"  We get the jab as hubby is Diabetic and we are both carers for his father with Alzheimer's, so we need to try to stay healthy.

[Katejo]

Hi Katejo,  join the club, I had exactly the same, 3 times I thought I had it on the run but back it came. The cough was awful, once you start to cough it sort of got you like you were going to be sick and you drool so badly... I kept having to hang my head over the wash basin. For several years we've had the flu jab, but the last two I've had a cold about a month or two later and boy does it hang around. Maybe won't have the jab this year, but hubby says "Imagine what it might have been like if you hadn't had it"  We get the jab as hubby is Diabetic and we are both carers for his father with Alzheimer's, so we need to try to stay healthy.

Hi Witches Cat

Mine has been a bit different. I got a flu bug last April which went on for ages (despite flu jab due to underactive thyroid). This one hasn't  been flu and my cough hasn't been chesty at all, just a throat irritation. I have coughed little up.  The cold has been in my throat/head/nose more than my chest. Doubt it was linked to the flu jab which i had last October.
 

[Dancinggirl]

katejo - sounds like hayfever to me.  The fact it comes and goes is quite typical as the pollen count goes up and down - I get a sore tickle throat in spring from the tree pollen.  I do think that we become more sensitive to things like tree pollen in spring as we go into meno, as everything dries out, even our sinuses, which naturally make our nasal passages more likely to irritated. I actually get nasty ear ache as the constant drip from the nasal passages seeps into my ears as well.  Do check things with GP though.  Dg x

[Katejo]

katejo - sounds like hayfever to me.  The fact it comes and goes is quite typical as the pollen count goes up and down - I get a sore tickle throat in spring from the tree pollen.  I do think that we become more sensitive to things like tree pollen in spring as we go into meno, as everything dries out, even our sinuses, which naturally make our nasal passages more likely to irritated. I actually get nasty ear ache as the constant drip from the nasal passages seeps into my ears as well.  Do check things with GP though.  Dg x

No It is more than hay fever. I have had a bit of that too with itchy eyes but this was definitely a cold.

[Katejo]

I also thought 'allergy' when I read the thread.

Hayfever does feel exactly like a cold - one that lasts from Spring to Autumn! Runny eyes, sneezes, tickly cough and often for me itchy skin into the bargain.

Flu jab due to underactive thyroid katejo?  I've never been offered one of those.  Did you get it done privately?

re. flu jab: No it was NHS. It is one of the conditions on the NHS list which qualifies you for a flu jab. my brother has the same condition and he gets them too. Ask at your practice. I have been having them for quite a few years now.

[Dancinggirl]

Stellajane is right - you may have a sinus infection that needs and bit of help to clear and Sudafed can help.  DG x

[Katejo]

Stellajane is right - you may have a sinus infection that needs and bit of help to clear and Sudafed can help.  DG x

I thought that Sudafed was only a symptom relief. I have only taken it once and had a possible adverse reaction so haven't tried it again. It seemed to affect my ear/balance when i got up to go to the bathroom. It's possible that they weren't connected but i haven't tried again.

[Dancinggirl]

katejo - it's worth chatting to the pharmacist for advice.  If you have a constant sore throat, pain in your ears and blocked nose then this could be an ongoing infection.  Sometimes using an antihistermine for a few days can calm everything down and allow the infection to heal.  Of course, one of the best things one can do is simply steam over very hot salt water several times a day.  DG x

[Katejo]

katejo - it's worth chatting to the pharmacist for advice.  If you have a constant sore throat, pain in your ears and blocked nose then this could be an ongoing infection.  Sometimes using an antihistermine for a few days can calm everything down and allow the infection to heal.  Of course, one of the best things one can do is simply steam over very hot salt water several times a day.  DG x

No I don't have a sore throat or pain in my ears. Just feels like a cold which doesn't want to clear up.

[Dancinggirl]

katejo - what you are describing really sounds like an allergy and is very likely linked to your nose drying out due to meno and then the membranes reacting to the tree pollen that is very strong at the moment. I have a constant running nose and stuffy at night if I don't use an anti histamine - I tend to use Bencanese Nasal Spray - and this helps to reduce the reaction in my nose. What can also happen is a cough will develop because there will be a post nasal drip - this means the mucus is trickily down the back of the throat causing a tickle, coughing will make the throat sore and irritated.  Some dizziness could be also because the inner ear is affected and this can also be helped with antihistamine.The fact the symptoms come and go may well be when the levels of pollen go up and down.  Definitely discuss this with a pharmasist or see your GP for advice.
If it is rhinitis - again often linked with allergy - then this can also be treated with antihistamines.
DG x

[CLKD]

I've been suffering for 4 weeks now with a break of 3 days - although the cough hasn't gone away completely. 

Now that I am home I will try high dose Magnesium tablets which helps the cough reflex (but can have recupertions (sp) the other end  )

[Katejo]

katejo - what you are describing really sounds like an allergy and is very likely linked to your nose drying out due to meno and then the membranes reacting to the tree pollen that is very strong at the moment. I have a constant running nose and stuffy at night if I don't use an anti histamine - I tend to use Bencanese Nasal Spray - and this helps to reduce the reaction in my nose. What can also happen is a cough will develop because there will be a post nasal drip - this means the mucus is trickily down the back of the throat causing a tickle, coughing will make the throat sore and irritated.  Some dizziness could be also because the inner ear is affected and this can also be helped with antihistamine.The fact the symptoms come and go may well be when the levels of pollen go up and down.  Definitely discuss this with a pharmasist or see your GP for advice.
If it is rhinitis - again often linked with allergy - then this can also be treated with antihistamines.
DG x

Maybe. I did suddenly sneeze 3 times this morning. The other symptoms have calmed down over the weekend. I do sometimes take antihistamine but only ones which I can buy in the pharmacy over the counter.

[Dancinggirl]

katejo - do talk to the pharmacist - they are great at giving advice about this kind of thing and will suggest appropriate products that will help and also advice about how to take things and for how long.DG x