Coughs are scary!

[Janknitz]

I've got another cold. When you have elementary school kids at home that like to share . . .

Last night was tough wearing the CPAP and I finally had to give up around 3 a.m. because of my runny nose and sneezing--NOT fun in a mask! But the worst thing was coughing. You know how you take that big deep breath before coughing? I found that with my airway wide open on CPAP, that breath felt like it was sucking the mucous right into my lungs. That did not feel good--it made me feel kind of panicky!

It was a rough night. I finally got some real sleep about 5 a.m. to 7ish. Luckily I was able to stay home today and rest. Now my head is clearing up, but the lungs are starting to react. I'm just on the cusp of the symptoms they told me to use as a sign that it's time to start Prednisone The idea is to hit it very fast at the early stages and see if we can head off all of the asthma problems before they get a foothold. I'm a bit afraid of jumping the gun too quickly, but at the same time I don't want to get as sick as I was last time. I can't afford to be down for months again.

[needzzzzs]

Jan, I hope you are able to recover quickly from the cold and get back to CPAP soon! I am still new enough to CPAP that I haven't had to deal with an upper respiratory infection yet, but I'm sure my time will come eventually. You're right, when you've got young kids at home, it's almost impossible to avoid the germs.

Feel better soon!

Debbie

[sister]

Jan,
So sorry to hear that you are sick again. I hope you feel better real soon and this cold doesn't amount to much.
You've been sick enough lately,you need a break.I will keep you in my prayers,
GOD bless you!

[sister]

Hi Janknitz,
Just thinking about you and how much you have been sick this year. I really hope that you are well now and feeling much, much, better.

God Bless You!

[jeja]

Try using a Neti pot, saline solution/rinse. I have a long lasting nasal drip causing coughing and the saline rinse worked perfectly http://WWW.Neilmed.com provides them in most drugstores or you can order over the net.

[TalonNYC]

Try using a Neti pot, saline solution/rinse. I have a long lasting nasal drip causing coughing and the saline rinse worked perfectly http://WWW.Neilmed.com provides them in most drugstores or you can order over the net.

And two things to remember with the neti pot (or any nasal irrigation system):

1 - lean slightly forward over a sink or drain.
2 - breathe gently through your mouth while you are rinsing. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it helps sooooo much with the process.

I promise you will get the hang of it quickly, and that it really does help with congestion. I prefer a nasal bulb irrigator (think the thing you use for cleaning kids' ears, but about 10x the size) which I find makes things more convenient, but it's the same principle.

[robysue]

Sorry to hear you are sick yet again.

And hoping you get over this cold really fast.

[Janknitz]

Actually, this is an old post and I am finally feeling MUCH better.

It was my second bout of asthmatic bronchitis in as many months and really brought me down. They put me on a broader spectrum antibiotic under the theory that the first one hadn't fully knocked out the bugs (most bronchitis is viral in origin, but when you have asthma and a lot of mucous in your lungs, it makes a nice breeding ground for a secondary bacterial infection ). Anyway, it took a while even after that second antibiotic, 4 different inhalers and two courses of steroids, but I finally shook it. I lost a lot of ground stamina-wise and I'm working hard to get back up to where I was (which wasn't that impressive to begin with!).

CPAP was the saving grace--with it I could get good, restful sleep or I don't know what I would have done. I was on the verge of pneumonia, and I have a feeling that I'd have been even sicker without the CPAP.