Best cough medicine I ever got was 21 years ago. I had moved and didn't have a primary care doctor yet. I got bronchitis and went to an urgent care. They gave me an antibiotic and a cough medicine I didn't ask for. Histonex, I think.

I took some that night and woke up ten hours later. I looked it up ... liquid hydrocodone.

I think I still have 3/4 of the bottle somewhere.

When Mary Anna had a bout of pneumonia last year, she couldn't stop coughing, and I eventually persuaded her to ask for that. It helped her a lot.

So we learned last night that someone Steve had lunch with last Wednesday, when he was just coming down with symptoms, tested positive for covid yesterday. Same symptoms as Steve. So even though he’s taken 5 rapid tests (two different brands) and they’ve all come back negative, I’m taking him for a drive through PCR test today, just in case. he still has a fever and his cough kept him up almost all night, (Mine did too, actually, but I dont have a fever anymore). One of Steve’s colleagues at work came down with Covid a couple of weeks ago, so it’s going around.

Jodi,
Glad your temperature is down.
Two people I know have it.

Ugh. So sorry to hear another round of illness. I hope you both feel better soon.

I had an upper respiratory infection for all of January. It just wouldn't quit. Spent the month on mucinex, Tessalon Perles, and even went nuclear with prednisone to combat the cough. Finally eased up in early February.

There is indeed some serious sh!t going around.

Hope the two of you get clarity and then get over it.

Hoping you and Steve get out of the woods soon!
Do you think you've been so afflicted because Montanans have been less vaccinated than many other areas?

Steve went to a recruiting fair at the university - people came in from all over - he thinks he picked whatever he has up from somebody who came in from out of town. One of his colleagues came down with Covid and also went to the fair. We are still waiting on the test results from yesterday.

PD - I have not had much luck with those Tessalon pearls for cough, I seem to do better with the over the counter stuff. Steve seems to think they help, but listening to him sounding like he’s coughing up a lung all day and night I am skeptical!

Get well soon, Jodi and Steve.

This just came out two days ago:

https://www.axios.com/2023/02/...ocks-covid-infection

quote:

Australian scientists announced Friday they've discovered a protein in the lung that sticks to the COVID-19 virus like Velcro and forms a natural protective barrier in a person's body to block infection.
…
It could also help explain why some people who contract COVID experience serious illness, while others never get sick.
…

So, not Covid. Steve’s still having trouble - on and off fever - though he did not cough nearly as badly during the night. I finally feel like I’m on the mend.

Heard some really sad news today - one of my vet school classmate’s husband contracted Covid in November of 21, ended up in the hospital for 11 months. Finally came home to start a recovery, but just passed away from a bacterial infection. so tragic for them. What an awful disease.

Took Steve to the doctor for a third time this afternoon - day 12 of a fever, and they have prescribed an antibiotic and an inhaler for the cough. Keep your fingers crossed. Kind of wish I had the inhaler too - my cough it still pretty bad.

Do they have any idea what it is? Do they culture sputum to figure out what might be down there?

I'm sorry you guys have been visited by this nasty bug...

Sorry for you and Steve. Hope you kick this thing soon.

quote:

Originally posted by jodi:
Took Steve to the doctor for a third time this afternoon - day 12 of a fever, and they have prescribed an antibiotic and an inhaler for the cough. Keep your fingers crossed. Kind of wish I had the inhaler too - my cough it still pretty bad.

I AM NOT A DOCTOR, but I have found that the Primatene inhaler really helps. It’s available OTC.

If I had to name the healthiest forumites, I'd have listed you and pique - you especially, considering the cross country moves, the elaborate packing of all your treasured art equipment and other fascinating equipment for home-made paints and - pretty much everything. (A beloved boulder and the farm equipment!)

And the arduous work keeping up your barn and meeting the demands of your equine dependents especially through the Arctic Winters at the end of those long lanes filling in with deep snowdrifts!

It seemed me that kind of hard living would have kept you in the pink of health.

Just shows how little I understand what underlies health maintenance!

The great, sad mystery of your recurrent illnesses (and looking after Steve with such dedicated care even while you yourself were seriously sick) baffles me. And if I remember right, you were also doing your utmost to care for your aged parents suffering from chronic illnesses.

And who could forget the strenuous work you undertook to keep you and Steve insured, while he was plugging away to stay employed in his honorable academic pursuits? The exhausting work of corralling those non-automated shopping carts in glacial weather and indoors, shlepping those super heavy cake tins!

Doesn't make any sense at all that the hard workout you've been giving your body didn't reward you by keeping you ultra strong and resilient.

But no...
So sorry!

Pushing shopping carts at Costco is one of those things I think of every time I go to the grocery store (now I make sure I put my cart and any nearby carts neatly into the little cart corrals!