Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cough

Kennel cough? A dog version of the flu?

youandiandaflame — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:36:23 -0800

My friend's dog is hacking / coughing and she'd like to know whether it's serious enough to see a vet. (Obligatory photo of an adorable boxer inside!) Asking for a friend.

"Anybody know how to tell the difference between a dog with a cough due to heartworms, allergies, heart failure or "kennel cough"? Our 6 y/o Boxer developed a dry, hacking cough suddenly that hasn't subsided in 24 hrs. We initially thought "kennel cough" but he hasn't interacted with other dogs. He is also gagging and drooling. No lethargy and still eating. Any personal experiences appreciated. We are over an hour from an emergency vet clinic and I know kennel cough just has to run its course. I should mention that he doesn't seem to be in pain...still chased atvs today, normal behavior...just sounds HORRIBLE."

I saw the dog in question today (AUGGIE!) and he does have quite a hack going but he was the same friendly guy he's always been, resting his head on my lap for some petting and flopping around like he always does.

Any thoughts?

I have a cough that simply will not be suppressed. Help!

JoannaC — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:57:05 -0800

I have a cough that simply will not be suppressed. Help! About a month ago, I got a cold which went to my chest and has been troubling me ever since (I have asthma so this has happened before). It has been dormant for the most part for about two weeks, but resurfaced two days as an annoying hacking cough. I have tried the following over the counter medications to no avail:

Tylenol Cough
Tylenol Cough + Mucous Control
Benylin DM Cough Syrup
Tylenol Cold & Flu (Night)

Nothing is working. I am coughing every two minutes except when I am actively drinking something (tea helps). I don't feel sick and have no other symptoms other than the cough. It is loud and disruptive to others in my house. You are not my doctor, but is there anything else I can take to lick this thing, or at least quiet it enough that I don't get worried noises from my boyfriend every two minutes?

p.s. I am in Canada if you are going to suggest any brand names...

Food suggestions for a sore throat

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 08:33:26 -0800

Okay, this is a bad time to be without money and there's nothing I can really do to change that immediately. I am on assistance. I have food stamps that can buy only food stuff. Because of last minute car repairs and things like extra gas for appointments that I couldn't miss with government agencies, I have zero on the cash assistance (non-food side of food stamps). I slowly developed a cold today. It's just a cold. Sore throat, coughing, running nose and headache. I have Tylenol for the headache, but my throat is killing me and coughing keeps adding to the burn. There's no money for non-food cough/throat stuff. No cough drops or meds. What can I buy that is a food item that can make my throat feel less like it's been scraped with a brillo pad with each cough. I have pots and pans and a microwave, so I can cook something.

Don't say go to the hospital or walk in clinic. Car repairs mean that car is dead right now. No go. State transport takes me to workfirst stuff only, unless I'm dying. I'm not dying, I have a cold. I can get the food stuff with the shelters group outing on Sunday.

Food suggestions?

Also, before it's asked by generous people, no I don't want your money. I can take care of myself. I just need food suggestions.

Advice for speaking/performing with a cold?

ManInSuit — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:41:55 -0800

I have a cold. I have to talk to talk to a few groups of people in the next 48 hours, and want to avoid excessive coughing, crazy hoarseness, etc. Any advice? So I have what I assume to be a pretty run-of-the-mill cold, that I've had for three or four days: I had at at various times a sore throat, runny nose, some fatigue, some coughing. Mostly able to go about my regular life, just a bit slower.

Normally, I'm pretty happy to let a cold run its course, and I usually don't take cold medicine.

But in the next while I have a couple of things I need to do where the cold might really get in the way: Tonight, I do a show at a bar where I talk to a hundred or so people, intermittently, over a couple of hours (using a mic). Tomorrow, I teach a class to a group of around 20 people.

Some of the cold symptoms I've had in the past while would get in the way of this. Most notably - I find if I talk loud for more than a few minutes, I start to cough a lot. This doesn't happen in normal conversation, but does if, say, I rehearse a prepared speech, projecting as if I were speaking to a group.

So...

I'm interested in any advice people may have on tips for dealing with this. Are there medications I could use to help? I'm hoping for as little psychotropic effect as possible - I'd rather not be made speedy or drowsy (though if I had to choose one, I guess speedy would be better and drowsy worse). I'm in Canada, if that affects what sorts of medications are available.

Also - the symptoms seem to change a lot day-to-day. So right now, it seems, the worst problem is the dry, painful cough. But I'm interested in what people do for relief of other symptoms, too...

Any advice much appreciated!

How do I stop a cough when cough medicine doesn't work?

mxmm — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 18:05:06 -0800

How can I stop a dry cough after cough syrup, cough drops, and various teas haven't helped? I had a cold a week ago and the congestion and most of the acute stuff has gone away and I'm mostly feeling better except the dry cough has continued on and on and is actually more constant now. I normally would be able to deal with it but I have a shoulder injury and every cough feels like my shoulder is ripping apart!

My cough medicine (Robitussin Lingering Cough syrup) isn't doing anything and sucking down cough drops like mad barely helps. Tried tea and tylenol, too. It's just this constant tickle that causes coughing to trigger. Is there anything I can do to knock this cough out cold or that irritated tickle feeling? Are there stronger prescription strength cough medicines worth seeing the doctor for or something I could inhale? My cough medicine helped when I had a wet cough but why doesn't it work now?

How was your recovery from Whooping Cough?

crapples — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:13:06 -0800

Question about typical recovery pattern from whooping cough. If you've had it, you can probably help me out. So - I'm a 45 year old guy, and I have whooping cough. I've had it for about 3 weeks. I've been through the 5-day Z-Pack anti-biotics.

And here's the thing: About 5-6 days ago I started to feel significantly better. I started coughing only lightly, although still several times a day. My other symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, etc) disappeared completely. I basically started to feel better - with an inconsequential lingering cough. I even played a two-hour tennis match a few days ago.

Then last night all of my symptoms started to come back! I'm now coughing almost (not quite) as badly as I was at it's worst point. My nose is running again. It's like I got better - then it just returned.

I called a nurse and she said that I probably don't have it again (because the anti-biotics are still technically in my system, and because I got my booster shot last week). I can't get in to see a doctor for the next few days.

My question: Is this a typical recovery pattern? Or has it come back? Or is something else going on? If you've had whooping cough, did you recover linearly or in an up and down wave?

Newly inducted into the Asthmatics Club

mudpuppie — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:17:28 -0800

I was just diagnosed with asthma. Doctor developed a treatment plan (to start off, prednisone, Qvar and Atrovent inhalers, and narcotic cough syrup so that I can start sleeping again), so I hope that the symptoms -- the violent, persistent cough, mainly -- will soon abate. But, going forward, what do I need to know about having and living with asthma? Any lifestyle or diet tips? Things I should know or avoid? I've also recently joined a gym, though I haven't been able to go much because I caught the cold that triggered the asthma shortly after signing up. So, any tips on exercising with asthma?

It seems to be activated most by colds/viruses (I personally think it was actually caused by a bad cold I had this time last year), but I also have seasonal allergies that should come along again in the springtime.

All tips and experiences appreciated. Oh, and I'm not a smoker, so that's not an issue.

Bonus question: I was also supposed to ask the doctor (i.e., was threatened by my partner if I didn't) about the possibility of doing a sleep study since my snoring has gotten so bad over the past few months. She seems to think that it's asthma-induced as well. Has anyone had the experience of their snoring improving after beginning asthma treatment?

How to stifle a cough?

Ginesthoi — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:02:15 -0800

Need your best hacks for stifling a cough--in time for a choral performance tomorrow. The aftermath of a head cold has left me with a cough that is more pronounced at night. I need your best advice, tricks, etc for stifling that cough as I am to perform with a choral group tomorrow 12/15. The cold/cough does not affect my singing. Thanks for your help....my fellow singers will be grateful and so will I.

The flu is gone, but my lungs still aren't working... doctor again?

patheral — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:56:53 -0800

YANMD... I had the flu about 3 weeks ago. I'm feeling much better now except I'm still coughing and wheezing. I have asthma, my inhaler works... But I'm using it more than I ever have. How long should I wait until I go back to the doctors? When I went to the doctor's about two and a half weeks ago, because I had an outbreak of cold sores and Bronchitis due to a nasty case of the flu. She put me on and anti-viral medication for the cold sores and anti-biotics "in case of infection."

Well, everything is cleared up now except for the breathing problems. I finished off both meds awhile ago. Even the cough isn't nearly as bad as it was, but I still need to sleep in a reclining position (as opposed to lying flat) or I'll cough up a lung, and I can't walk fast or I'll wheeze.

It's like my asthma has gotten worse all of a sudden. For example, I'll start wheezing if someone with perfume walks by or when the heater kicks on... It's pretty freaky. I'm using my rescue inhaler at least four or five times a week. It was more than once a day while sick, so it's better but not gone. It's the wheezing that bothers me. I usually only cough in bed or if I have trouble with breathing (e.g. if I start having an asthma attack).

Should I wait a little longer? Should I see a doctor as soon as possible? My asthma has always been pretty moderate (except that one bout with pneumonia about fifteen years ago... that was pretty bad) so I'm not used to feeling out of breath all the freaking time.

For those who don't know, I'm a starving grad student with no insurance. The doctor's visit is free, but any x-rays or tests they do will not be. I'm also 45, and I've had asthma since age 27 in case that makes a difference. Oh, and I've never smoked.

Please stop my cough!

anastasiav — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:03:04 -0800

Please help me kill this cough.... On Friday, I went to the doctor after a few days of cough and fever and was diagnosed with bronchitis. I was given a prescription for a 5-day course of zithromax (I've taken 3 of the 5 doses) and 12 100 mg capsules of benzonate for the cough.

The benzonate does nothing for the cough. Zero. I called back the office today hoping they would call in a 'script for a codeine cough syrup, but they refused. (I had a 'script for some back in August - perhaps they think I'm drug seeking?)

The cough is a nightmare. Coughing until I throw up. A deep hacking (productive) cough that racks my whole body. I can't sleep. I can't lie down. I haven't had more than 3 hours sleep at any one time in days and days and I just can't take it any more. I feel quite a bit better since I started the antibiotic, but the cough refuses to get any better at all.

Things I've tried:

- 100 & 200 mg doses of the benzonate. (Does absolutely nothing.)
- Mucinex, both on its own and combined with the benzonate.
- Robitussin DMmax, both on its own and combined with the mucinex and the benzonate.
- Hot tea with and without lemon and honey
- Hot showers (works for about 15-20 minutes)
- Vicks vap-o-rub, combined with any/all of the above.
- Hot rum in the tea (works the best of anything so far, but not perfect, and doesn't allow me to get anything done)
- NyQuil (worked the first night and hasn't worked since)
- Hot vapor steamer in my bedroom combined with lots of the above.

I'm getting to the point where I'm kind of afraid I'm going to poison myself by combining so many things (say, Robitussin, benzonate, and rum).

Suggestions? Is there anything OTC that I can try??

What could be?

LittleMissItneg — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:15:19 -0800

What is this circular thing the size of a small pea below my left rib cage? It is not really seen, I can only feel it when I try to press on my skin, so it is more internal. It doesn't hurt as well. I have been experiencing shortness of breath for the past two weeks or so, and I am coughing some right now too. And a phlegm issue that has been going on since forever.

The heart, it burns us

cp311 — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:24:30 -0800

Do my symptoms warrant a visit to the doctor? It sounds like acid reflux to me (so I assume I'd need an appointment), but I'd like your opinion before I go. Involves chronic coughing after every meal, lasting for at least an hour or so, and heartburn multiple times a week. I know you're not my doctor.

For the past month, I've been having heartburn 2-3 times a week. One night (I was studying, not lying down/sleeping), the heartburn started; I took two Tums, to no avail, then two more. The heartburn went away 45 minutes later. This doesn't seem normal to me. It felt like any other instance of heartburn I've had, but much more intense - it hurt to breathe or even move my upper body.

Also, I've felt a strong, almost tickly urge to cough all the time. This is mainly after meals, and lasts quite a while. I try to cough, but it isn't productive and the sensation remains. If this is relevant, I frequently get hiccups which last for 10 or so minutes at a time. I'm not sure why I get them.

Possibly relevant: 19-year-old female, nonsmoker, relatively balanced diet, moderate exercise, healthy weight.

Do I need to see a doctor ASAP? In the meantime, how can I alleviate these symptoms?

Persistent cough after cold?

NotSoSiniSter — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:13:32 -0800

After getting off of a mild cold. I've had an on and off cough for about 2 weeks. What should I do? Just before school ended, I had a very runny/stuffy nose and I just wasn't feeling that great. I was coughing the whole time too. I felt much better a few days after school ended, but I still had a cough! It will start up randomly or something will trigger it. For example, I was at a Grahams yesterday and I ordered a salted caramel, I wanted to taste the salt on top before dropping it all in my mouth. I immediately started coughing and it wouldn't let up. Cough medication doesn't seem to help that much.

I read up on what my cough could be, some places said it could be my alleles are still inflamed, and a doctor could prescribe a temporary inhaler.

What do you think?

Thanks! *cough*

Help me get to the bottom of a constant cough

Caravantea — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:42:38 -0800

Snot & Sickness Filter: I've had a hacking cough for years and I'm finally ready to get to the bottom of this. What do I need to ask my doctor? What avenues are smart to pursue? Anything I can do to calm it down in the short term? YANMD, obviously. But frankly none of the doctors I've gone to in the past have been much help. When I explain I have a nagging cough that I've had for years I get suggestions like "Try Robitussin." (I did, it doesn't help) And have generally left me with the impression that there's not much to be done about it, and it's nothing to worry about. But it's freaking annoying to me and everyone around me. I'm planning on getting a new primary physician and I'd like to try again. Please help me ask intelligent questions and not let my doctor railroad me.

I think it's Post Nasal Drip. I'm always coughing, but it's worse in the winter than the summer. It's worse in the mornings than the evening. It's much worse when I'm stressed out. I tend to cough up clear, runny mucus, but sometimes some of the thicker, yellow stuff. And sometimes the coughing doesn't bring up anything at all.

That's about all the details I can think of. Um...I'm pretty anemic. I don't know if that could factor in at all.

How do I get out the mucus in my chest?

harigopal — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 06:16:40 -0800

I am suffering from a bad cold and have a lot of phlegm (mucus) in my chest. However, I am not able to bring it out when I cough. What should I do to get this out quickly?

Gesundzzzzz.....

elder18 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:59:35 -0800

Do people cough or sneeze while sleeping? I'm not aware of having ever woken up from a cough or a sneeze, and I've never, in 8+ years of sleeping next to my wife, heard her cough or sneeze in her sleep.

So, what's the story here?

Tortilla baby, you are messing with my lung feng shui!

two lights above the sea — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:00:56 -0800

I was starting to get a pretty nasty cough from my SO. My tonsils are HUGE on a normal day, but when I get throat-sick, they swell up and sometimes bleed. Great! To complicate matters, I was eating the smaller bits of a bag of tortilla chips and accidentally inhale a piece or two. I nearly choked, and I could not cough up the piece(s). Now I'm having (what I think are) lung spasms every 30 secs to 5 minutes, and it's freaking me out and causing some serious pain. Sorry for the huge summary.

The pain is kind of like a big blip in my lungs, and the pain radiates from my chest/back to my head and torso. It makes me extremely short of breath and light headed, to the point where I have to stop and brace myself. I'm pretty short of breath as it is from the cough, but it's a little different. The spasms happen with more frequency if I'm standing, and even more so if I'm walking. Riding home from work on my bike was AWFUL.

I've heard horror stories of things getting stuck in your lungs and causing pneumonia. I don't want that! I also don't want to make this into a big deal and drag my even sicker SO to the emergency room all for something silly.

Is this worthy of not worrying about? Should I call my doctor in the morning? Is this really a spasm? And, ultimately, should I actually go to the ER?

Thanks in advance!

How can I stop coughing, or make it not hurt to do so?

gally99 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:28:15 -0800

How can I stop coughing, or make it not hurt to do so? A week or so ago I threw my back out. A couple hours later I sneezed and felt something pull in my side. I went to my doctor, he gave me a couple vicodin and sent me away. It was mostly manageable except when I coughed or sneezed, and after a couple days it mostly felt better.
A couple days later the other side started to ache. This morning I coughed and felt several pops and what felt like tearing. It hurt enough that I had to pull my car over and pace the sidewalk for several minutes.
The pain is on my side, from just above my lowest rib to just above my belt.
It's not bothering me too much now, except when I cough, which I'm mostly trying to avoid.
I am always a bit phlegmy and that's the cause of the cough I can't avoid.
What can I do to either kill the phlegm and stop coughing, or how can I cough and not want to die after?
I smoke, and if i stop I cough more.
I sleep on my side and cannot sleep on my back or stomach.

Please help me cough!

mefireader — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:24:12 -0800

Why doesn't an expectorant help loosen my cough when I have a cold? I have a bad cold with a tight chest. Instead of taking a cough medicine with both an expectorant and suppressant (seems oxymoronic to me), I want to take something that "loosens" the cough and makes it productive: an expectorant, right? But I have tried taking Mucinex and a generic version (containing Guaifenesin) at different times, and it seems to have the opposite effect. My chest tightens, I don't cough, feel dried out and my throat is so dry it's difficult to talk. Exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for. Why?? Anyone have experience with this? Yes, I'll keep drinking tea with honey and trying to breathe over vapor in the meantime.

What kind of doctor do I need to see?

olinerd — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:39:16 -0800

You are not a doctor, but you can hopefully help me determine which kind I need to go to. Over the past few years some weird symptoms have been getting worse and worse. It's now to the point that it annoys family and coworkers so it's time to get things checked out. (Also, logically speaking, something that appears and steadily worsens is probably worth checking out, hm?)

Problem is, I don't know who I need to see. Maybe you don't know exactly who I need to see either, but I'd at least like some ideas and thoughts before I go in to my PCP (who I've never actually met -- recent insurance switching means I have new doctors) and lay things out for her.

So there are two threads here.

(a) I've found that I appear to be lactose intolerant. I've always hated milk anyway, and switched to soy milk in college for cereal and such, but continue to eat cheese and ice cream and so on. Since college I found myself coughing a lot immediately after eating dairy products and experiencing increased gasiness. Symptoms are somewhat alleviated when I take Lactaid. Figured I had it all under control, though that may just kind of be a placebo effect for a nonexistent intolerance, because...

(b) ... over the past year or so I noticed I was coughing like crazy after eating things I knew didn't have dairy, like a lot of Asian foods, the tea I drink in the morning, etc. The coughing became not just coughing but incessant but unproductive throat-clearing, as well as the sniffles, lasting up to an hour after I've eaten something. My coworkers can tell when I come in each morning because the sniffling and throat-clearing starts emanating from my cubicle. It's pretty bad. Through some googling, I think maybe it might be LPR? But I never actually have heartburn. I've tried self-medicating with some OTC PPIs, which sort of seems to help, but doesn't actually fix the symptoms.

Other possible relevant point: I have no history of seasonal allergies and experimenting with OTC allergy meds have no noticeable effect.

So:

(1) What kind of doctor do I need to see? ENT? GI? An allergist even though I don't think that's it? Something else? Multiple?

(2) Does anyone else have experience with these symptoms? Did doctors send you on any wild goose chases, before arriving at your actual diagnosis, that I should watch out for?

(3) I freak the hell out at most medical procedures. Reading that testing for LPR involves things down my nose and throat incites a small amount of panic in me. If I do end up going in that kind of direction (or other similar procedures are needed with other doctors) any advice in handling them without too much anxiety?

Summer cold remedies?

pintapicasso — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:16:54 -0800

My boyfriend has a cold and it's 85 degrees outside. It's too hot for chicken soup, so what can I do or make for him? I was sick just a few weeks ago during a cold spell and he made me a lovely batch of chicken soup. Now he seems to have caught a cold/cough and I want to return the favor. Any ideas for summer cold remedies? A healthful, wholesome dinner option would work well, too.

Automatic Forced Exhalation/Bronchial spasm?

symbioid — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:03:15 -0800

I've noticed the past couple days a sort of automatic forced exhalation. I don't know how to describe it. It's kind of like a cough, but not really. There's not throat clearing or anything of that nature. I'm pretty stressed the past couple days at work, and I noticed that's when it happens. I've had this happen in the past, and I think it's just stress, but is there something else that might be causing it?

Obviously the full advice is "see a doctor"... But I'm just curious - the closest I've found is Asthma, but I don't wheeze or feel constricted breathing. A bronchial spasm, perhaps?

I am on (a very low dose (75mg) of) Effexor XR for anxiety, and I don't know if maybe that might be a contributor or even if it's alleviating what might be an even worse symptom.

A few years ago I was tested for Asthma on a treadmill and one of those breathing machines and they said my lung capacity was fine, and if anything I was deconditioned. Is it possible I've gotten it since then? I'm 34 years old, if that matters.

Are cough drops causing me to leak?

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:11:22 -0800

What are the chances of sugar-free Halls cough drops causing...seepage? (yeah, that kind...sorta gross details inside) I used to be on some medication that made my throat dry. I was teaching at the time, so I started using Halls sugar-free cough drops to help me lecture beyond my scratchy-throated 20 minute limit.

I no longer take the medication, but my throat is still sorta dry. I consume 3-5 cough drops a day. Feels great, like I can talk again, sing again, etc.

The problem is, I've developed a slight anal seepage problem. Enough to dampen a piece of toilet paper a few times a day. Smell is similar to what my cat's butt smelled like before we had his glands expressed.

Further complicating the issue is that I'm wondering if it's an anal fistula. I had a good size hemorrhoid about a year ago, and I had never had one like that before. Could this have led to what I have now?

I will go ask a doctor about it, but what are the chances it's the Halls? Is there something in the sugar-replacing component that could be causing the seepage?

I have had anal leakage before from consuming olestra (I think it was), and that was quite a bit more unpleasant; still, it makes me wary of my cough drops.

Also: Tips on a replacement for the halls would be much appreciated. Water doesn't seem to work that well. Breath mints seem to make my throat worse.

The cold is gone but the symptoms remain and are MAKING ME CRAZY.

TochterAusElysium — Sat, 22 May 2010 09:37:29 -0800

How can I get rid of this lingering congestion and cough? Gross details ahead, sorry.

I contracted a mild cold about three weeks ago: started with a sore throat, general malaise; that went away in a couple of days, but since then I've been fighting the non-stop runny nose and cough.

I produce what seems like a never-ending supply of snot, and have an intermittent cough that I can't get rid of. I've used Amazon rainforests worth of tissue, purchased enough Sudafed that I'm afraid I'm going to hit the limit and be prohibited from buying any more (but it's the only thing that works even a little bit), and have to keep a pocket full of cough drops in case I start choking to death in a meeting or something.

The cough goes back and forth between a phlegmy hack and a dry tickling deep in my throat that makes me cough like I have TB. When I blow my nose in the morning it's yellowish but clear for the rest of the day (sorry, but I know that may be important).

A work friend recommended trying a neti pot...but to be honest, those things look like waterboarding to me and I'm afraid I'd drown myself.

I feel fine otherwise, though! My husband said that my leftover symptoms seem like allergies, and we've had record pollen here, but I've never, ever had allergy problems. Could having a cold trigger allergies?

Please help me stay sane, MeFi. Is there any way to get rid of this? I don't want to go to a doctor if, as I suspect, she will just say, "Oh, you have a cold; it will go away on its own."

Sniff...hack...sniff...help!

Got the plague. Left me with allergies.

Ys — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:55:36 -0800

What turns your tongue black underneath & leaves you with a dozen new allergies afterwards? Assume it's not Pepto Bismol or yeast. Prior to December I had very normal health; no notably problematic allergies to anything. Then I got sick. I can't remember if I got a cough first, or if it was the fever w/ chills & bone/body ache (no stomach/throat symptoms). Either way, they came one after the other, and since I have a small child who was also sick, I wrote it off as small-child-has-a-cold-itis. About two days after the chills, I attended a group luncheon at work. The day after the lunch, my tongue started aching. I looked in the mirror, and the top looked fine, but the bottom had what looked like huge blood blisters, and the two veinlike things that run up it were *vibrantly* red. Soon the entire tongue was completely black. My whole mouth felt swollen by the end of the day

I probably should have gone to the doctor at that point, but I chalked it up to "something weird in the food, you're not dead and the swelling seems to have stopped; you'll probably live." It lasted for maybe 4 days with some fluctuation in the degree of discoloration and swelling.

I finally went to the doctor about 7 days after that. The tongue had gone back to normal (although the doctor said that he could still see evidence of swelling in my mouth), but the cough was getting worse & worse & worse: Fits where my lungs felt like they were filling up with bubbles. Things had started to squeak & rumble when I breathed, and when I was coughing, I felt like I could bearly stop enough to pull in a breath. But as I told the doctor, the only over-the-counter thing that actually seemed to help was Benadryl, not cough syrups. Plus, the nose would pour out watery stuff instead of snot when the coughing was really bad.

We both concluded "cold," but he took the Benadryl comment into account: I was sent home with a prescription for antibiotics, cough syrup, and a prescription-strength anti-histamine.

It is now 2 months later. The antibiotics brought the whistling under control. The cough syrup was a complete waste of money: Revolting lemon stuff I only took twice and both times I swore to my honey that it was making things worse, not better. The anti-histamine has been getting me through the day ever since, but the coughing hasn't stopped.

Empiric observation eventually got me to "allergies." Today I was tested, and the following items were rated as "do not eat" by the allergist: Milk, Soy, Corn, Beef, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Carrots, Rice, Bananas, Apples, Oranges and Tea. Not one of those things has bothered me in the past, but the milk & potatoes & Oranges I'd already figured out. Throw in the Tea, and you've got a great description of how come all my home cold-care methods failed me.

Not one doctor saw my tongue turn black. Three have declined to speculate on what happened to it. One said, "well it must have been a yeast overgrowth." Every description I've seen of yeast overgrowth has said something about "Hairy," which it was definitely not (slimy perhaps, or maybe even just tongue-like, but NOT hairy). Also, this one doctor couldn't explain why it would be the bottom of the tongue: The top looked fine. Maybe a little white, but that's what tongues do when you're sick, no?

So what's up with the tongue? And how can I have developed a dozen or so allergies seemingly overnight? (The environmental allergen test is tomorrow: I already know cologne & dust will come up positive...) Are the two related? Just one of those weird coincidences that will happen? Will this die down in time? The doctor said it was a bit early to get into that last one, but heck, I'd like to know what other people have experienced. Thank you!