Bronchitis forum: Bronchitis Help! | The DIS Disney Discussion Forums

25.07.202306.07.2023 by alexxlab

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Bronchitis Help! | The DIS Disney Discussion Forums

Eeyores Butterfly

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May 14, 2010

It’s getting annoying. This is now the end of week 3 and it’s still here. I have a very physical job at school and it’s making it difficult. Yesterday I had to restrain one of my kids and could barely breathe by the end. Today I had to run after a kid who bolted and once again was having a horrid coughing fit when I was done. I can’t go work out because anything strenuous leaves me coughin and out of breath. I want to give it some more time to work before I go running back to the doc, plus, I hate to bother her so much (not to mention pay all those copays!)

I know the cough will stay around for quite awhile after the meds are finished. Mine usually does. I have a sinus infection now. I would still keep a close watch on how you are feeling. Not to scare you by any means but don’t feel bad about bothering the doctor. Just last December, my cousin had a bad case of it that it wouldn’t go away. His infection went to his heart and we came very very close to losing him. He spent three weeks in ICU and was on a heart transplant list. He did not end up needing the transplant as his heart made a 100% recovery without need of any surgery. The hospital calls him their miracle man as they did not expect him to live.

I am a Primary Care provider & we see a lot of Bronchitis in the office this time of year. It seems to be harder to get rid of than it used to be. My typically treatment is a steroid shot & a Rocephin (strong antibiotic) shot in the office. The I place the pt on a strong antibiotic that covers the lungs well so to prevent pneumonia. I also give a cough suppressant & expectorant, an inhaler, along with a steroid pack. I don’t always give all this, but most of the time the patients are already so sick & having so much difficulty breathing, that if I don’t, they end up coming back any way

I’ve had bronchitis a few times. I’ve never had an inhalor. The antibiotics will likely take about 4-5 days to kick in. Keep taking them. If they don’t kick in at the 5 day point, then go back to your dr.–you may need a refill of your prescription, or another antibiotic.
The other things you can do to loosen up your congestion is to steam your airway–you can get some really hot water in a sink, stick your head over the water, make a tent with a towel over your head, and breathe in deeply with your mouth open for 10-15 min. Then repeat as needed. You can create a steamy environment in your shower, jump in, and concentrate on breathing deeply–with your mouth open for about 10 min. You can also use a vaporiser (when I was little, we used steam from a kettle–but this can be dangerous). My dr. also told me to use a cough medicine–Benelyn DM was suggested. Essentially cough syrups don’t work as advertised, but taking a cough syrup should still allow you to sleep. Remember to force liquids. I also used to place a hot water bottle on my chest when I went to bed, as it seemed to help loosen the congestion.

Some people would say that all this breaking up the ookieness is called “making the cough more productive. ” A productive cough is one in which you get ookies brought up. A non-productive cough is one in which you feel as if you’re hacking up a lung but have nothing to show for it. If you didn’t already know that, you’ll have learned a little something and the bronchitis will not have been for nothing.

I had it once and my doctor gave me the most amazing medicine. It was called tussinex. It is basically super robotussin with vicodine in it. It made me feel better almost immediately, although it didn’t cure the illness, just helped the symptoms. Other doctors I have seen seem not too crazy about this drug, but it did help me. I think it is highly addictive, that may be why drs are reluctant to prescribe it.

If you think it is worse, I would follow my instincts and get a recheck. I have had it many times in my life. A few years ago I got it in August, which was a little different for me. By the time I called the Dr., which wasn’t all that long it had already gone into pneumonia. I agree about the mucinex and lots of water. I also got a pneumonia shot after that experience. It has also helped me with not getting bronchitis so much.

Just to add to my earlier post–the problem with bronchitis is that it is a persistent kind of illness. You cough, and you cough, and cough some more. Over time, this becomes exhausting because you can’t sleep due to the coughing. The antibiotics tackle the illness straight on, but they don’t help you get to sleep. The cough syrup is helpful because it will let you get some sleep. One dr. I saw for bronchitis prescribed me Tylenol 3 instead of cough syrup so that I could get to sleep. The Tylenol 3 worked fine.
As other posters have mentioned, you do have to keep on top on bronchitis because it can develop into pneumonia quite easily. Antibiotics still require a few days to start to work. If you truly feel that your condition is getting worse, then you should go back to your dr., or the ER.

The OP has asked about getting rid of phlegm. You have to keep drinking clear liquids, preferably warm/hot clear liquids to help loosen the phlegm to the point where you can cough it up. Hot clear tea (you can sweeten it with sugar or honey–I think honey is a bit better) or a clear soup are good. Avoid coffee.
You are going to find you won’t have much appetite because your tastebuds are going to be affected too, it is important that you do continue to eat.
Steam helps loosen phlegmtoo–you really need to breathe in the steam through your mouth as well as your nose.
There will be a lot of phlegm to cough up, it is just the nature of bronchitis. It will likely start off as either green or yellow colored phlegm, as you get better the phlegm should loosen and gradually clear.