Whats up with this cough that everyone is getting?

Funny that you mention that, my dad had it for awhile too. He seems to be doing better but for the longest time all you would ever hear over the phone was his cough. I don't know what it was but I just think it's something going around like a common cough cold.

I'm the only one in the family that smokes and I don't have the cough. Go figure.

Yep, my daughter and I are both down with bad cough.

reply to post by Quauhtli


I had the cold you're talking about. Lost my voice for a week. It's going on four weeks with this cough. My daughter says it's an epidemic in her area in New Hampshire.

Seems like were not the only ones then , started about a week ago for us here at my house and its a tricky cough wich started bad wich a fever and rough coughing and the next felt ok but with a minor rough cough and having a raspy sound when breathing as if I had water in my lungs or throat. Oddly though I feel it could just be seasonal

That cough went through my office like a devouring wind. I was off work for two days and thought I was well on the third day. My wife just looked at me and pointed out that I was sweating after climbing up one flight of stairs at home. It's a nasty, stubborn bug - I had it in October and I was still coughing up the occasional bit of gunk at the beginning of December.

I've had the same thing for five weeks now.
Got rid of it after three weeks then it came back.

Most of my family have got it and lots in our neighbourhood.
I'm in Liverpool, UK.

Must have had it about 4 times this year already. No temperature to speak of, don't even feel poorly apart from the coughing fits. First time the doctor nearly did me in with amoxyllin. Whenever I feel it encroaching now I take upwards of 5 garlic tablets a day. Kills it off nicely.

I am also lurgyfied with this cough. Started as a tickly cough on cristmas eve, then xmas day I was totally wiped out with fever and sickness. The sickness only lasted a day, but the fever is still with me, and the cough is rampant at times. Used to getb coughs all the time, but I've not had one like this with the fever and sickness before.

I think I may have even passed an aspect of it on to me dogs! The other night one of my dogs was sick all night, and then totally zonked the next day, and last night, the other dog has come down with it, and is now looking very sorry for himself wrapped up in my bed. (after he's puked over everything else) They've not had a cough with it, but they've had sickness and fever.

I have no symptoms and don't remember being sick, but I've had a cough like this for months. I don't smoke. It only happens when I lay down to sleep, or sometimes when I eat. I tried cough syrup before bed, but it doesn't help. I was thinking the big C, but I would cough all the time I would think. Like a deep lung cough and I can't clear it. No mucus and if I get up it quits. I eventually fall asleep and it doesn't bother me the rest of the night. It is very strange. Even stranger to read about it on ATS.

Wow, thank you all for the feedback. These posts are not making me feel any better at all. So the two symptoms that seem to be prominent are the cough getting worse at night, and the lingering on for weeks. Both of these symptoms seem strange and not very normal for the common winter bugs that we usually get. Most of the people around here that I have heard have it had their first symptoms in early December and have not yet really kicked it.

I'm wondering if anybody has heard anything about it as being formally named or identified as a virus or infection, it doesn't seem to be the flu, which is more expected at this time of year. I seem to have heard something about this year having more cases of pneumonia than previous ones. Maybe I will do some research and see what I can find out.

reply to post by gazzachel


Well two things that I have been doing over the last couple of years. The first one is for the sore throat. I have come to think that most bugs start in the throat and after taking hold travel into the lungs and the rest of the body. if you can kill the bug while it is still trying to take hold, by creating an environment in your throat that stoops the growth of the bug, you can save yourself a whole lot of time being sick.

I hate being sick, I need to be outside every day working and such and being inside and sick at the same time drives my crazy.

My throat remedy is made up of a couple of things that when put together I call my magic elixir.

1/2 a shot glass of Braggs organic apple cider
1teaspoon honey
Dash of cayenne
Dash of garlic salt
Splash of lime jukes from a fresh lime.
1/4 shot glass of boiling water to mix in after melts the honey and soothes the throat as well.

If you feel the sore throat coming on during the first day then start taking and gargling this at least once or twice every hour before bed. I always spit most of it out, but swallow a tiny bit just to get the full effect. It's not all that bad tasting either as one might think. The above recipe is enough for a couple of gargles. The important part is to do this regularly throughout the day, I usually do it every time I come into the kitchen, about five o six times a night. Then take one last gargle right as you climb into bed, drink any water before the elixir, so that you don't wash it down. I usually have one last dose made for when I wake up and I take it, but what has happened since I started taking this is when I wake up expecting to have that horrible sore throat that you wake up with the on day two, it has vanished in the night.

The second remedy comes from the notion that most of the energy that the body uses goes into maintaining a perfect 98.6 body temperature. It has always been an old wise tale that if you start feeling the flu bug coming on that you should wear your neck scarf to bed. When I heard that I didn't really believe that there could be all that much truth in it until I heard the afore mentioned notion about body temp. A couple of years ago I picked up a flu bug that I could tell was going to be a really nasty one. I ramped up the advice, put a heating blanket over my normal blanket, loaded up all of my other blankets and put on socks and a comfy stocking hat. I had a fitful night sleep and woke sweating. Didn't really feel all that much better, but I took a really hot shower and hacked up all the junk and by the time I was dressed and ready for work I felt great. Since then I have used these two tricks for the different symptoms and have not had any sickness last more than the first day.

reply to post by Quauhtli


Same here. I had flu symptoms for about 6-7 days but this cough won't go away. Mostly hacking stuff up at night, not so much during the day. I'm on day 11 since first getting sick, all symptoms are gone but this cough. In Chicago area, btw. And everyone I work with has gotten sick like this in the last 2 weeks. Not sure if they're coughing at night too, I only see them during the day.

This sounds interesting. But, how many people have paranoia. Until you mentioned this I wasn't aware but now I'm thinking everyone I know has been coughing, UK by the way. Plus it is winter here so very common. But, I'm now thinking its more than normal x

My symptoms didn't start until the 21st. Difficulty swallowing and coughing. I now have these symptoms along with what appears to be blisters in my throat, dizziness, and chills. So I guess I have strep throat or something and need to get in to a doctor soon.

Strange thing is, I never get sick. It's been years. This year I've been soooo unlucky with my health.

My fiance has had the same cough. I've known him 11 years and he's always gotten a cold in the Winter, beat it, then was fine the other 3 seasons.

He's had the hacking cough for months. And he is not a smoker.

He's been to the doctor several times for this. (In fact I made him go to a different doctor at one point to get another opinion.) They always say something then send him home with antibiotics (which freaks me out because I'm against over-use of antibiotics).

They have told him it's bronchitis, then the bronchitis lingered, then told him it was strep throat, then said the strep lingered, then eventually said it's walking pneumonia. He finished that round of antibiotics a couple of weeks ago but that stupid hacking cough just lingers.

If you and your girl figure out what is up let us know. My guy hasn't slept 2 solid hours in months because of that cough.

I personally suspect it may be because of pollution caused by the ever-growing auto industry. That is just my personal speculation, though.

Oh, I don't know if it's relevant but his insurer is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and he has to use their pre-approved doctors. I don't think the doctors they are providing are able to properly diagnose it.

reply to post by Quauhtli


I have this cough to. It started roughly 2 weeks ago. On Christmas, I ended up getting a stomach bug or something. Felt like a really mild flu, but that's gone now. The cough is still here and feels the same as when it started.

Ive had a cough like this before and it usually lasts roughly 4 weeks. It's really just annoying for me and not really a hinderance most of the time.

reply to post by Quauhtli


Saskatchewan, Canada here. Yup, same type of thing is running my house right now. Took the smallest one 2 weeks to get over with fever of 39.6! She is still coughing, but, getting better. I have it now and it isn't pleasant at all.

reply to post by Quauhtli

Wow, thank you all for the feedback. These posts are not making me feel any better at all. So the two symptoms that seem to be prominent are the cough getting worse at night, and the lingering on for weeks. Both of these symptoms seem strange and not very normal for the common winter bugs that we usually get. Most of the people around here that I have heard have it had their first symptoms in early December and have not yet really kicked it.

I'm wondering if anybody has heard anything about it as being formally named or identified as a virus or infection, it doesn't seem to be the flu, which is more expected at this time of year. I seem to have heard something about this year having more cases of pneumonia than previous ones. Maybe I will do some research and see what I can find out.

My Dr. speculated I was afflicted with acute bronchitis. Apparently I had the symptoms but I didn't want to do any tests. Rest is the best cure.

ETA : Acute Bronchitis

I have a cold that started on Xmas. No cough but as the poster said, I could fill up the dead sea. Even with the aloe kleenex, my nose is getting sore.

I need to suck it up and use the neti pot.

My son has the cough also.

Coughing only at night could be allergies, or low iron, or GERD. Because lying down triggers it.Or sinusitis as a result of the cold you had. Which sinusitis can persist after the cold. A neti pot will help with that.

If a cold is lasting longer than a week or two, most likely it has turned into sinusitis, and needs to be treated.

Also, if you are vitamin D deficient, like so many of us are, that will make your cold last a lot longer than it should.

I don't remember where I heard this, but if you keep the house really cold, it kills the germs, bacteria and viruses before they attack you.

[Advice from someone who never gets sick and is around sick people all day.]

Maybe one day.

Keep the house below freezing level to annoy all your unwanted guests.