CPAP to the rescue..........

I got the flu last week. Then it morphed into this horrendous cough that is so bad it can make me gag violently. When I exhale, it sounds like I'm a 3 pack-a-day smoker, but nothing will come up.
My x-ray is clear. I just finished 5 days of Zithromax (which I'm not sure I even needed), and have been taking mucinex and Robitussin). What is very strange, is that I'm pretty much okay, until I eat anything.......then it becomes awful.......coughing so hard I can't get my breath. The weirdest sounds come out of my mouth when I exhale........mostly animal/bird sounds, rusty hinge sounds, etc., etc.
Anyhow.........what is very strange is that I've discovered that my CPAP is very helpful. Even though I might cough all day, once I lay down and put my cpap on, I can sleep through most of the night. I usually wake up once with a terrible coughing fit, then go back to sleep.
Since this works so well at night, I began sitting in a chair with the CPAP on for awhile during the day, when my coughing/wheezing was its worst. And it would help! It must hold the inflammed tissues in my throat/upper trachea open just enough to keep from coughing. Wish I could put something in the water in the humidifier to help even more!
Anyhow............just wanted to mention that it has helped me during the day, when I'm awake too, just in case some of you are also struggling with a bad cough.
I do find it very curious. Usually coughs worsen at night. Oh well. I'm definitely not complaining! (except that I have this danged cough at all).

LOL I did the same thing when I had pneumonia last time.

Nothing like that warm moist clean air to help you breathe.

Good idea.
Remember oxygen tents?

When I get asthmatic bronchitis, that's exactly what happens. And I sleep comfortably without coughing with my CPAP.

I'm glad it works for some of the rest of you too! But here I was thinking invented the idea! haha
About bronchitis..........I've never really had it before. I've had coughs that lasted a long time, but they were always dry.
With this one, every time I breath out, there's all these rumbling fluid sounds. Since the xray is clear, we have to assume its higher up.
Any of you with bronchitis have any tips as to how to speed this along? I'm taking Mucinex and drinking a ton of water. I've had this for over almost 10 days and it doesn't sound any better than when it started.
Is it just a matter of waiting it out? It sounds horrible.........like I should be able to cough something up, but I never can. I think its just real juicy/swollen/inflamed tissues. Dang those viruses.
Any tips? Thanks.

Country4ever wrote:I'm glad it works for some of the rest of you too! But here I was thinking invented the idea! haha
About bronchitis..........I've never really had it before. I've had coughs that lasted a long time, but they were always dry.
With this one, every time I breath out, there's all these rumbling fluid sounds. Since the xray is clear, we have to assume its higher up.
Any of you with bronchitis have any tips as to how to speed this along? I'm taking Mucinex and drinking a ton of water. I've had this for over almost 10 days and it doesn't sound any better than when it started.
Is it just a matter of waiting it out? It sounds horrible.........like I should be able to cough something up, but I never can. I think its just real juicy/swollen/inflamed tissues. Dang those viruses.
Any tips? Thanks.

Try a sterile saline nasal rinse. I had a cough for a couple of years that finally went away when I started xPAP and used a nasal rinse to clear my sinuses.