Can't Stop Coughing

[PlatformDblSuede]

This is part-whining, part-asking-for-ideas. You have been warned. =)

So, in addition to being insane, I'm allergic to a ton of things. I was once getting weekly allergy shots, but it got too expensive, even when I had insurance. Now that I don't have insurance, it's not an option at all.

I also have asthma, which gets worse in the winter. I usually make it through the spring and summer just fine, but things start going downhill fast in October. When I was finally diagnosed with asthma--which took forever because doctors kept insisting I had a sinus infection--I got lots of albuterol inhalers, which stop the wheezing and, for the most part, the coughing. I'm not taking anything daily for asthma because I don't have any trouble with it for at least 6 months out of the year, so all I have at the moment is cough drops (menthol) and albuterol.

I went to visit a friend weekend before last, and between her pets' hair and her smoking cigarettes, I couldn't stop wheezing and hacking. I thought when I got back to my own house, it'd be better...but I was wrong. I'm back to coughing like I was before the asthma dx. The inhaler doesn't stop it. Cough drops don't stop it. Clearly, the Universe hates me.

I went in the bathroom earlier, closed the door, and ran the hottest bath I could stand. Then, I hopped in the tub and just sat there, reading my Kindle with the shower curtain closed. The humidity helped, thank God. Unfortunately, now that I'm not sitting in there anymore, I'm hacking my brains out again, despite the cough drops and the inhaler.

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions? Most of the "home remedies" you see posted online are useless, as are the OTC cough meds. I don't really have the funds to go get a humidifier right now, though I'm sure I desperately need one. Is there anything I can do, short of shriveling in the bathtub 24/7?

Oh, and, yes, I do plan on calling the doctor. I just have to make it until tomorrow, LOL.

[notfred]

Often a drip in the throat causes a cough, it does in me. Treat the allergy that is causing the drip and you treat the cough. OTC generic Zyrtec should be cheap.

nf

[PlatformDblSuede]

I'll give it a shot. I've been using Allegra, but I'm out right now. I may wait until tomorrow to go out, though, 'cause the cold, dry air only makes it worse.

Thank you! =)

[Anna]

If the humidity helps, boil water, put it in a bowl, and put a towel over your head, inhaling the steam from the bowl. With enough water, should last about a half hour, can be repeated more easily than the bathtub/shower deal.

Anna

[olga]

I also boil a pot of water and sit in the kitchen and read. It makes the room really steamy, but it helps. Anna's suggestion is the classic treatment. My mother used to put a small amount of Vicks Vap-o-rub in the hot water to help open the airways.

Also, do you drink coffee? A cup or really strong coffee will also help to open the bronchi. This isn't a great idea if coffee keeps you awake, but maybe you could have some in the morning.

Pile 3 or 4 pillows behind you to sleep tonight. Sleeping upright makes it easier to breathe.

I hope you can get some relief with the allergy medicine.

olga

[PlatformDblSuede]

Thanks, guys.

It turns out that I now have a cold or something. I figure spending weeks in allergy/asthma hell made it easy for a virus to slip in. I went to bed around 7 pm last night and didn't actually get up to stay up until 2 pm today. I feel a lot better, but still far from 100%.

I will definitely give the boiling water in a bowl thing a try. Also, the coffee. I drink caffeine like it's going out of style, anyway, so that'll be easy.

Thanks again. =)