Quick Question for the Docs/ medical peeps
 

A few weeks ago I caught the cold virus everyone has had this year - couple of days under a duvet feeling sorry for myself, nothing major - but the bad throat hasn't gone away and now i'm pretty sure it's turning into laryngitis - aching/ painful (rather than sore) throat, compulsion to continually clear throat, no voice - just a whisper (hubby thrilled!), and a big painful effort to try and talk. Oh and a really annoying hacking cough. NOTHING is helping!

I don't feel all that ill in myself (cue the Peter Kaye gags!) but I basically can't speak and it's just getting worse and worse each day at the moment. I have 2 questions:

1. Is there anything at all that I can do to make this stop/ go away (I don't want to bother the doc - I understand that it's not something they can really help with?). I really enjoy my job and this is driving me nuts.

2. I'm well enough to come to work - but my job involves presenting training courses - which I'm struggling to do right now. I'm guessing I should be resting my voice - not trying to bellow to a room of 20 people - but it's hard to convince my boss. Is it possible to get some sort of medical note that says I'm OK to be at work - but I can't do the big talking part? There's plenty of other stuff I could be getting on with.

Ta everso for any suggestions! :thumb:

Join the club, Ive had about 2-3 weeks max without the damn cold since November :mad:

TBH the cold has pretty much gone - just an annoying cough and complete absence of voice...... :mad:

I eat MINUMUM 5 portions fruit and veg a day, Drink 2 litres of fluid. Top up with B complex to ward off the cold sores, walk for at least an hour every single day. I'm doing all the right things - why won't it go??!!! (Or, as far as my voice is concerend, come back!) :)

I am fairly certain its ebola. You'll probably be dead in a week.

Can I have your car?

It's a bug that's going round all my household had exactly those symptoms. It took a bloody long time to go - 3-4 weeks in my case, so enjoy...

Have you got any pet turkeys?

===========

PS. Had this and it seems just time does the trick. Bloody frustrating though. atb.

Thanks for the sympathy and good wishes - nice to know I'm not alone. :) I think my main frustration is that I can't hide away anywhere at work and let my voice heal - I have to keep training people. It's just getting progressively worse and the only thing that helps is not talking - but my job really doesn't allow for that!

Did you go to the doctor in the end? He might well have something that will go a long way to sorting it out. You are entitled.

Les

So - went to the doc this morning. Nasty bout of laryngitis formally diagnosed. Naff all can be done apart from resting my voice. When I explained about my job he gave me a steroid inhaler that he said would reduce the inflamation of my vocal cords and allow me to speak so people can hear.

Problem is, I checked the leaflet in the box with the inhaler (which is apparently generally prescribed for asthma) and it says one of the "common side effects" is hoarseness of voice.... :brickwall

Oh dear!! Sounds as though you definately need antibiotics for the cough though.Do you cough up a thick green/yellow/brown sputum? Well if so,spit it out,gross as it may seem,if you swallow(ahem) it will enter your respiritory tract and cause big problems.So,the moral of the story is: spit,definately don`t swallow!!

I`ve had cold/flu symptoms since the 1st of Feb. My first line of defece is paracetamol and cough medicine and fluids. I struggled into work but last Wednesday I felt like I was going to pass out. Thurs and Friday it snowed so had a nice long weekend off. I couldn`t make it into work yesterday either as I did really feel down. Coughing so bad I throw up as well, phoned the doc and asked for antibiotics, his receptionist told me the doctor would have to phone me before I get them.

Phone rings doctor asks what the problem is, I tell him what I feel like and the cough is now crippling me and could I have some antibiotics to help me. Also told hime I have already spent pounds on over the counter drugs and symptoms a still presant.
He tells me I cant have any and must fight it off myself and it could take up to 15 days to leave my system. The over the counter drugs were a waste of my money as well. I was speechless. WTF am I paying taxes for, I have never even seen this doctor since he has started this round and I would have had to pay for my prescription, not like some people that lives near me bringing up a family on sicknotes. I`ve got a good mind to go to the surgery coughing and spluttering and give all the sicknoters something for free and not come out from there without antibiotics so as I can go on with my normal life.

Go to your local a& e on the weekend when your GP is shut - theyll give you a prescrip

I completely understand that a cold is a virus and there is nothing a doc can give me - hence my reluctance to go along and take up their time. I really don't want to take pointless drugs for the sake of it.

I was simply wondering if there was anything that could help aleviate the symptoms a little - or a note that could be written to get my boss off my back. I didn't get a note - but waving the inhaler around and speaking like Darth Vader seems to be doing the trick! :)

(Thanks for the advice on spit -v- swallow. Where would the medical profession stand on the issue of gargling.....?) :D

NO!!!! its people like you that mean i dont get time for a break!

I would question the judgement of ANY doctor who prescribed antibiotics over the phone. The body is very capable in dealing with such infections although it can take a few days. Over use of antibiotics means the illness mutates and negates the effect of the antibiotics rendering them useless. Just grin and bear it and let the body do what it has for thousands of years.

Well if I had wanted to see the doctor I would have had to be booked in for the end of next week. I probably didn`t in his view have the right to a housecall. And the last time I have had a course of antibiotics was about 15yrs ago, hardly a case of over use. And I am questioning any doctor who can do a consultation over the phone. He also told me that there were a lot of people on his round with the same symptoms, so prescribing basic antibiotics should have been well within his capabilities.
I`m changing Docs anyway my Mrs who also has it phoned her Doctor yesterday, saw him today and was told it is influenza she has, had antibiotics throught spray and a sickie note, she works with the elderly so has been off work since last Monday. This bug that is going arounnd down here is bad I really hope you dont get it.

What leave a cold turn to flu, then the flu turn to pneumonia and die, we live in 2007 now mate and medicine should be there to help people who need it.

:lol: :lol:

not as good as jesus turning water to wine!!


thats where your going wrong, drink shed loads of whisky // brandy or both if thats how you like it and you will be sorted in a few days. All this healthy stuff is bolloxs.