Not a virus we want to share . . .
I'm quite a bit better today. I'm still sick, and very tired and weak, but the cough and fever are improving.
DH is staying home for at least part of the day just because I feel I'm too weak and tired to handle the kids for the whole day alone. He'll probably go to work this afternoon, and will be gone this evening. Hopefully I can manange.
Right now I'm still sleeping a lot. I don't feel well by any means, but at least I don't feel like a dissected frog today.
Of course it doesn't help that AF decided to arrive just exactly now, and I'm now all of 99 lbs. after being sick for several days--and that at a time when I normally weigh a few extra pounds due to water retention or something like that.
Below is a detailed description of some of the symptoms of this illness. I started to write it as a reply to Shinga's comment about chronic coughs, but it was so long I decided to put it in a new post.
Also, this way I can put it below the fold so people can skip it if they like. I promise you, there is nothing other than gory details of virus symptoms if you click the "read more" link or read past the ### signs, so feel free to skip it. You won't miss anything important. :)
This was how I felt much of the time the last few days. I'm much better today.
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I'm not sure if this is what would be considered a chronic cough or not. I don't normally have a cough when I'm not sick. What exactly is a "chronic cough", anyway?
The coughing spells happen maybe one to four times an hour. They are the result of thick, stubborn phlegm around my bronchial cords and in my throat rather than just throat irritation, I'm pretty sure.
They are violent enough that they make my bones hurt as though I'm on a rack--especially my ribs. At one point I was coughing up traces of blood, but only that once.
It's hard to inhale after coughing out. I end up gasping for breath and feeling like I'm dying, but if I can cough up some mucous then it's much better. If I drink hot liquids it seems to help break up or wash down the mucous so that I don't cough as much or as severely, and I feel better. Sometimes I can get some relief by clearning my throat or other methods, but mostly that's pretty ineffective.
I had shortness of breath even when not coughing for a while, but that's better today. It was affecting my talking and walking, forcing me to pause often to catch my breath. The rattling in my chest seems to be going away, too.
I feel freezing cold even though I have a fever. This results in much perspiration and teeth-chattering with violent shivering.
After I went out in the cold I didn't have another coughing spell for quite some time, and they seemed milder after that. Maybe it was just a coincidence in timing, or maybe it was the fog and the fact that I drank some water and took ibuprofen immediately after that.
We've noticed with both myself, DH and the kids with this virus that ibuprofen or tylenol actually seems to minimize the cough as well as the fever (and the aches in bones and joints) until it wears off. That seems very strange to me, and I don't know why it would be the case. The ibuprofen would take a long time to kick in, but once it did I'd have one to three hours of feeling quite a bit better and being able to be a little more active.
Whatever it is, this is certainly a nasty virus. I'm going to try to stay home at least untl I'm pretty sure I'm not contagious.
DH is staying home for at least part of the day just because I feel I'm too weak and tired to handle the kids for the whole day alone. He'll probably go to work this afternoon, and will be gone this evening. Hopefully I can manange.
Right now I'm still sleeping a lot. I don't feel well by any means, but at least I don't feel like a dissected frog today.
Of course it doesn't help that AF decided to arrive just exactly now, and I'm now all of 99 lbs. after being sick for several days--and that at a time when I normally weigh a few extra pounds due to water retention or something like that.
Below is a detailed description of some of the symptoms of this illness. I started to write it as a reply to Shinga's comment about chronic coughs, but it was so long I decided to put it in a new post.
Also, this way I can put it below the fold so people can skip it if they like. I promise you, there is nothing other than gory details of virus symptoms if you click the "read more" link or read past the ### signs, so feel free to skip it. You won't miss anything important. :)
This was how I felt much of the time the last few days. I'm much better today.
#############
I'm not sure if this is what would be considered a chronic cough or not. I don't normally have a cough when I'm not sick. What exactly is a "chronic cough", anyway?
The coughing spells happen maybe one to four times an hour. They are the result of thick, stubborn phlegm around my bronchial cords and in my throat rather than just throat irritation, I'm pretty sure.
They are violent enough that they make my bones hurt as though I'm on a rack--especially my ribs. At one point I was coughing up traces of blood, but only that once.
It's hard to inhale after coughing out. I end up gasping for breath and feeling like I'm dying, but if I can cough up some mucous then it's much better. If I drink hot liquids it seems to help break up or wash down the mucous so that I don't cough as much or as severely, and I feel better. Sometimes I can get some relief by clearning my throat or other methods, but mostly that's pretty ineffective.
I had shortness of breath even when not coughing for a while, but that's better today. It was affecting my talking and walking, forcing me to pause often to catch my breath. The rattling in my chest seems to be going away, too.
I feel freezing cold even though I have a fever. This results in much perspiration and teeth-chattering with violent shivering.
After I went out in the cold I didn't have another coughing spell for quite some time, and they seemed milder after that. Maybe it was just a coincidence in timing, or maybe it was the fog and the fact that I drank some water and took ibuprofen immediately after that.
We've noticed with both myself, DH and the kids with this virus that ibuprofen or tylenol actually seems to minimize the cough as well as the fever (and the aches in bones and joints) until it wears off. That seems very strange to me, and I don't know why it would be the case. The ibuprofen would take a long time to kick in, but once it did I'd have one to three hours of feeling quite a bit better and being able to be a little more active.
Whatever it is, this is certainly a nasty virus. I'm going to try to stay home at least untl I'm pretty sure I'm not contagious.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 12:17 PM[Permanent link]
3 Comments:
After an episode of coughing, it is helpful if you can breathe as gently as possible, through your nose for 1-2 minutes. Like for the children, imagine that you are breathing like a mouse - tiny, very quiet breaths. This does take practice but it is well worth persevering with it.
If you know that you are going to cough several times an hour, is it practical to pre-empt an episode of coughing by gargling hard with warm salt water to clear the mucous? You can loosen some of the mucous so that you can gargle by following some of the advice for clearing the airways from the Little Blog of Phlegm.
Regards - Shinga
I was gone for the weekend and am only just now catching up. I'm so sorry that you are still sick and so severely!
I think that Bronchitis sounds like a good bet, but I'm also thinking maybe a touch of pneumonia, considering the depth of your coughs.
I hope you can see a doctor tomorrow to get checked over thoroughly. You're in my thoughts and I hope you are all better soon.
Love
I had bronchitis like this once. It felt as if my ribs were cracked because they hurt so badly when I coughed. I cannot remember how long it lasted but the cough lingered for some time.
I hope you feel better soon.
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