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October 8, 2010 11:59 AM Subscribe
YANMD filter: is my laryngitis bacterial or viral? If the former... weekend medical clinics in Manhattan? Halp.
First things first: I know YANMD. I've had a cold and, as of last night, seem to have acquired laryngitis. I can't talk at all. I'm resting, not talking, drinking hot things, etc. Feh. The question is just whether it's worth going to the doctor for. I know there is no point in a doctor visit if it's viral. So the question is whether it's bacterial or not.
In favor of viral: teh interwebs says that laryngitis is often viral, and is in fact a common side effect of the common cold.
In favor of bacterial (maybe): this has never happened to me before (I'm in my 30s). So this isn't just what my body does when faced with a cold. Also, in the AM -- only in the AM -- I cough up some nasty green gunk. Some people seem to think that green = bacterial, but I have no idea whether that's true. (The rest of the day my cough is dry, and I'm trying not to do it.)
If I should go to a doctor: anyone know a weekend clinic in Manhattan (preferably the Village/Soho) that accepts Beech Street insurance? I'm just in NYC for a few months, so my PCP is elsewhere. And Beech Street's "provider search" function on their website is crap.
tl/dr: 1) should I go to the doctor? 2) if so, help me figure out where.
Thanks, all you not-my-doctors.
First things first: I know YANMD. I've had a cold and, as of last night, seem to have acquired laryngitis. I can't talk at all. I'm resting, not talking, drinking hot things, etc. Feh. The question is just whether it's worth going to the doctor for. I know there is no point in a doctor visit if it's viral. So the question is whether it's bacterial or not.
In favor of viral: teh interwebs says that laryngitis is often viral, and is in fact a common side effect of the common cold.
In favor of bacterial (maybe): this has never happened to me before (I'm in my 30s). So this isn't just what my body does when faced with a cold. Also, in the AM -- only in the AM -- I cough up some nasty green gunk. Some people seem to think that green = bacterial, but I have no idea whether that's true. (The rest of the day my cough is dry, and I'm trying not to do it.)
If I should go to a doctor: anyone know a weekend clinic in Manhattan (preferably the Village/Soho) that accepts Beech Street insurance? I'm just in NYC for a few months, so my PCP is elsewhere. And Beech Street's "provider search" function on their website is crap.
tl/dr: 1) should I go to the doctor? 2) if so, help me figure out where.
Thanks, all you not-my-doctors.
Response by poster: I meant to add: the clinics in Duane Reade don't take my insurance, and although I think the ones in CVS do, they don't seem to exist in Manhattan (the clinics, I mean; there are definitely CVSs here!)
posted by kestrel251 at 12:04 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by kestrel251 at 12:04 PM on October 8, 2010
Best answer: The Beth Israel DOCS clinic in Chelsea is open 24 hours. I don't know if they take your insurance, but they might since they're affiliated with a major hospital.
posted by bedhead at 12:19 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by bedhead at 12:19 PM on October 8, 2010
IANAD: Unless you have underlying health issues that make things like cold, flu, bronchial issues more serious than the average 30something or if you have a sustained high fever, I'd give it a few days of rest and fluids before going to the doctor. See if you can get an appointment for early next week.
posted by Pineapplicious at 12:20 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by Pineapplicious at 12:20 PM on October 8, 2010
Laryngitis is more of a symptom than a disease. It's just inflammation. If you've had a cold that shows no signs of bacterial origin, chances are extremely good that your laryngitis, even if you don't usually get it, is just a side effect of the cold. Green isn't necessarily bacterial, although bacterial infections often come with green or yellow mucus.
If it was me and I wasn't running a notable fever or actually feeling sicker than I normally would with a cold, I'd wait at least a few days. It doesn't really sound likely to be urgent. See if Mucinex helps, sometimes it does for me a bit. Morning's always the worst time for mucus, I don't usually get worried if I have a cold unless I'm still coughing up stuff like that by later in the day. Your body may be changing how it reacts to colds, or this one may just be a little different than others. If I was running a notable fever or feeling progressively worse for more than a couple days, that would be my 'doctor' point.
posted by gracedissolved at 12:37 PM on October 8, 2010
If it was me and I wasn't running a notable fever or actually feeling sicker than I normally would with a cold, I'd wait at least a few days. It doesn't really sound likely to be urgent. See if Mucinex helps, sometimes it does for me a bit. Morning's always the worst time for mucus, I don't usually get worried if I have a cold unless I'm still coughing up stuff like that by later in the day. Your body may be changing how it reacts to colds, or this one may just be a little different than others. If I was running a notable fever or feeling progressively worse for more than a couple days, that would be my 'doctor' point.
posted by gracedissolved at 12:37 PM on October 8, 2010
Best answer: A note for those of y'all who worry about green mucus: it has NOTHING do do with whether the infection is viral or bacterial. So long as you're hacking up something on the clear/white/yellow/green spectrum, you are firmly within the range of normal for EITHER of those bugs (cite here).
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:30 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:30 PM on October 8, 2010
My doc says come in if any of the following are true:
* Fever of above 102
* Symptoms enduring for a week, or worsening for more than three days
* Real trouble breathing or swallowing, or dreams in which you're drowning or suffocating
* Pain so severe it wakes you up
Apart from that? Tea and sleep. Of course, IANAD.
posted by KathrynT at 2:03 PM on October 8, 2010
* Fever of above 102
* Symptoms enduring for a week, or worsening for more than three days
* Real trouble breathing or swallowing, or dreams in which you're drowning or suffocating
* Pain so severe it wakes you up
Apart from that? Tea and sleep. Of course, IANAD.
posted by KathrynT at 2:03 PM on October 8, 2010
The Chelsea clinics are pretty nightmarish, wait-time-wise. (I spent a lot of time at those clinics with weekend strep.) 55 E. 34th Street is better IMO.
posted by zvs at 2:18 PM on October 8, 2010
posted by zvs at 2:18 PM on October 8, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by General Malaise at 12:02 PM on October 8, 2010