Really pesky cough -- do I go back?

I came down with a cold/stomach thing shortly after NYE. A week later, it had gone, except for a cough. This is normal for me -- I always end up with a cough after a cold.

I went to my GP and she gave me an inhaler. She said I was a bit wheezy and it would help me clear out my lungs.

I've been using the inhaler faithfully but I still have a cough. Should I go back to the GP?

I only ask because the last time this happened in Vermont, my doctor and insurance got really pissy about how many visits I'd made for a cough that was 'nothing.' (That was July 2006 and I was given an inhaler then, too. I never got all the way better and my lungs have had a weird rattle/hiss noise whenever I exhale all the way since then.)

Since I'm new with these doctors and have already been there three times, I don't want to start getting a reputation as a pain in the ass patient. At the same time, I want to be able to breathe normally. (And it's an extra big issue for me because my mom died of respiratory problems in 2000.) I was talking to Adam about it today and he said that the other night he was concerned about the noise my lungs were making when I was sleeping. (I was listening to it last night. It almost sounds like a quiet snoring when I'm laying in bed.)

Do I go back to the GP? Will I get the same HMO dismissal I got in Vermont?

Coughs can linger and linger. I've had them last for weeks without any of the other issues you have (wheezing or having an inhaler). If you don't want to make a fuss just yet, go to Boots and get one of the paracetamol with codeine OTC stuff they sell here. Codeine helps to supress coughs and a few people on here have had luck with trying this. But, if it doesn't help over the next day or so, I'd go back to the GP... it would seem to me that your inhaler is also not working, though.

Go back to the doctor...talk about your history of persistant coughs...ask for a referral to an allergy/asthma specialist if they don't find anything wrong. It sounds a lot like you have recurring asthma....which often is a cough. Of course I am not a doctor, but I spent years getting a terrible cough every autumn. It would be a cold to start and the cough would linger. It took years before I was diagnosed with asthma...once I got diagnosed and could use the inhaler before it got too bad it made a world of difference in my life. The key is getting cleared in the first place though so that you can then use the inhaler efficiently.

Bottom line...go back, you deserve to be able to breathe easily.

In my experience, the NHS is quite proactive when it comes to asthma.

P.S. Please don't worry about getting a reputation for being a pain in the ass patient. It's better that you go to the doctor and find out that it's nothing, than not go to the doctor and it turns out to be something.

I'd ask about the asthma too.  I have mild asthma and was undiagnosed for years.  When I finally was, the doc let me in on something I didn't know:  number one trigger for asthma attacks are viral upper respiratory infections (e.g. colds, flu).  Also, asthma symptoms are often worse at night.  If it is asthma, it may take a course of corticosteroids in addition to a bronchodialator inhalant to clear it up.  In any case, this is a long time past the cold, which shouldn't last more than 7-10 days on average.  You need to be checked out for asthma or a secondary bronchial infection.  

Though, just as an aside, the cough mixture with codeine is sweet. You haven't been able to get that OTC in the US for years...though they aren't quite as free with it in the UK these days.

Or maybe the pharmacists were starting to recognize me 

Thanks for the input.

I went to my doctor in VT and specifically asked to be checked out for asthma. He had me breathe into a few machines and then came back and said my breathing was perfect. I tried to argue it with him but he was just a 'tests don't lie' and 'hoofbeats are horses' type of doctor. (He actually missed a few other things that my psychiatrist caught just from me vaguely complaining of some symptoms in a session. He ordered all the necessary tests himself, which was good.)

I was told years ago that I'd be prone to adult-onset asthma, too. So maybe it is worth going and making a fuss with the doctor here.

In the meantime, since I'll be going into London tomorrow to sign student loan cheques, I'll pop into Boots and get some cough syrup.

Last year I had a cold followed by a chest congestion/cough that didn't go away for months. Finally I decided to see the GP and he tested my breathing - fine - but gave me an Rx for amoxicillin. I was doubtful but tried it and to my surprise the cough went away. It came again after another cold in the summer and still have it after this recent cold. I think my poor lungs are not used to the cold air! 

Thanks for the input.

I went to my doctor in VT and specifically asked to be checked out for asthma. He had me breathe into a few machines and then came back and said my breathing was perfect. I tried to argue it with him but he was just a 'tests don't lie' and 'hoofbeats are horses' type of doctor. (He actually missed a few other things that my psychiatrist caught just from me vaguely complaining of some symptoms in a session. He ordered all the necessary tests himself, which was good.)

I was told years ago that I'd be prone to adult-onset asthma, too. So maybe it is worth going and making a fuss with the doctor here.

In the meantime, since I'll be going into London tomorrow to sign student loan cheques, I'll pop into Boots and get some cough syrup.

Those machines will only show you have asthma if you are having an asthma attack. If the doctor in VT tested you when you were feeling fine, then you would have the same response as someone who doesn't have asthma at all. That's what asthma is - it's a condition that causes problems breathing when triggered by something else. If you aren't exposed to a trigger, you don't get asthma symptoms.

There is a test that doctors can do to check for asthma if you aren't having asthma symptoms. It involves giving you a chemical will cause you to have an asthma attack, and then seeing how you respond to an inhaler.

Also, asthma will cause your lungs to close up on the exhalation, not the inhalation, which reflects the breathing noises you've been making.

I already knew I had asthma before I moved to the US, so I don't know what the procedure is for diagnosing it in the UK. In the US, they always give you a chest x-ray, to make sure it is just asthma and not anything worse.

Just got back from the GP. She listened to my lungs and gave me a course of amoxicillan.

If this doesn't work, I think I'm going to have to ask to book a longer appointment with a different doctor. The one I've been seeing doesn't get any kind of patient history or listen to what I'm saying about my symptoms. Today I was in and out of the surgery in less than five minutes.

Amoxicillin will work. It's what they always give me. Unfortunately, I have asthma and the common cold always turns my chest into a serious situation. I had it last week and ended up in casualty again on oxygen and nebulisers. Fortunately, the strong dose of amoxicillin worked but as a rule of thumb you have to be careful when you have asthma as nothing can really protect you when you get sick. I would still get checked by a specialist if you can. It sounds like you have to find a way to prevent any further occurances.

You'll feel better in a day or so. That cough may take a bit to subside but you'll notice the difference in no time. Hope it helps

The one I've been seeing doesn't get any kind of patient history or listen to what I'm saying about my symptoms. Today I was in and out of the surgery in less than five minutes.

Mine didn't either. I told him loads about my history with antibiotics to see if that would change his opinion but nope he continued to recommend it.

You'll feel better in a day or so. That cough may take a bit to subside but you'll notice the difference in no time. Hope it helps

yep, you should!  I was pleasantly surprised too.

I am reluctant to go back but it is too persistent and interfering with my life.

Amoxicillin will work. It's what they always give me. Unfortunately, I have asthma and the common cold always turns my chest into a serious situation. I had it last week and ended up in casualty again on oxygen and nebulisers. Fortunately, the strong dose of amoxicillin worked but as a rule of thumb you have to be careful when you have asthma as nothing can really protect you when you get sick. I would still get checked by a specialist if you can. It sounds like you have to find a way to prevent any further occurances.

You'll feel better in a day or so. That cough may take a bit to subside but you'll notice the difference in no time. Hope it helps

Amoxicillin will work if it's a bacterial infection, which is certainly a possible sequela to a cold/flu.  It won't have any effect on asthma, which is an autoimmune condition creating inflammation and bronchoconstriction.   

Feeling a bit better after a few days of the antibiotic. Still coughing and waking up through the night from it.

If this does clear it up, I think I'll go back in a few weeks to get checked out for asthma by a different doctor. Even if I get back to how I was before the cold, it still isn't right.

Absolutely - if you're not well, you have a right to every effort on their part.  You're not running for most popular patient, you want good healthcare!