Can I possibly still have the same cold virus 5, 6 months later?

September 18, 2006 10:09 PM

Round about this past April, I developed a nasty, hacking cough that hit only in the mornings. Can my icky, phlegmy self still have this same cold virus, months upon months later?

I still had this cough through June, though not badly enough to send me to the doctor (I was also writing my thesis at the time, so no money or time for a checkup). It's mostly gone now, though appears every now and again - no hacking, though. I do, however, still have this nasty bit of mild post-nasal drip and a constant congestion in my head (nose, really - you can't hear it when I speak, no headaches, etc). This can't *possibly* be the same cold from April, can it?? Any ideas on why I can't kick this thing? My diet is fine, and I *never* get sick otherwise.

posted by AthenaPolias to Health & Fitness (15 answers total)

Have you considered allergies ... say, an allergy to goosedown or something else in your bedding? They can come on kinda suddenly and some think they can be triggered by viruses. That would explain why you have it in the morning and not any other time.
posted by SpecialK at 10:19 PM on September 18, 2006

Do you smoke?
posted by Mr. Gunn at 10:26 PM on September 18, 2006

Mold or mildew in your house could cause this -- I had this same problem for a couple months until I moved my bed and discovered the floor and my mattress were completely mildew-covered. A few years later a roommate of mine went through the same thing (same apartment, different room). You may want to move your furniture around and check for this (though if it's inside your walls, it may be harder to find).
posted by Felicity Rilke at 10:29 PM on September 18, 2006

Mold, mildew, even chronic infections can cause this. I'd recommend getting a mold test done (or, if you rent, getting the landlord to do it) and see a doctor. If an infection, sometimes they don't just go away (says the guy with 9 years of sinus infections).
posted by Kickstart70 at 11:06 PM on September 18, 2006

Acid reflux can cause a chronic cough. So can asthma, especially if you're coughing in the morning. But your symptoms sound like allergies. There is something pumping out pollen almost every season of the year. Lots of people are allergic to things like grass pollen, tree pollen and weed pollen, not to mention dust mites, cockroach droppings, smoke and other "household" things (not plant matter). There are many over the counter remedies for allergies. Talk with a pharmacist and see which one is best for you. Try it for a week or two and see if your symptoms don't clear up.
posted by FergieBelle at 4:34 AM on September 19, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for the suggestions - no, I don't smoke, and here's the kicker to the allergy suggestion: I spent two months in Italy this summer, so I haven't even been constantly exposed to one single environment. My cough didn't change in Italy. It has abated somewhat, but the cough itself seems to be more a product of my body no longer lying down after the night's sleep - related to me getting all congested at night, as I try to lay back down.

No allergies to speak of, no sign of mold, no smoking. I'm thinking this is becoming one for a doctor... :(
posted by AthenaPolias at 6:03 AM on September 19, 2006

I might vote for acid reflux then. I get a similar cough when I'm under a load of stress.
posted by SpecialK at 6:46 AM on September 19, 2006

Acid reflux

this is really interesting and sorry to kinda hijack the thread but could someone in the know tell me a bit more. I'm a smoker (tsk tsk I know) and have a similar cough as to what is described. My Dad has an acid reflux problem that I'm also developing (I notice it when I'm digging, bending (as in weeding or picking stuff up).

I'd never thought the two (cough and acid reflux) would be connected. Funnily, I also get the cough really bad when I'm nervous. It's actually made me vomit before.
posted by twistedonion at 9:37 AM on September 19, 2006

Since you asked, I'll be blunt, and not trying to scare, but this happened to my Dad and he waited two months to see a doctor, and it turned out he had the big Casino in his lungs. He was a smoker, you're not, but if it doesn't go away, you really ought to get it checked out.
posted by vito90 at 10:14 AM on September 19, 2006

For a change of pace - you could have a chronic infection of some sort. My ears are chronically infected, and when I'm symptomatic (or about to become so), I wake up with a cough that goes away in about an hour - from a combination of humidity in the shower, sitting up, and just coughing out all the phlegm.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 12:27 PM on September 19, 2006

Sounds like the kind of thing that Chinese medicine theory might help with. Check out the book Healing With Whole Foods -- it'll probably tell you things like "eat warmer foods" and "don't eat late at night," cut back on meat and dairy (especially at night).
posted by salvia at 1:09 PM on September 19, 2006

vito90 writes "ince you asked, I'll be blunt, and not trying to scare, but this happened to my Dad and he waited two months to see a doctor, and it turned out he had the big Casino in his lungs. He was a smoker, you're not, but if it doesn't go away, you really ought to get it checked out."

Heed this man's advice. I had a friend in high school with a hacky cough for a couple months and she thought it was just a winter cold that she couldn't shake. It was actually a big tumor on her lungs.
posted by chiababe at 1:49 PM on September 19, 2006

Best answer: from the information you're giving, I'm going to vote chronic infection. Head colds have a nasty habit of complicating into secondary infections - the hacking cough sounds like bronchitis, which could be viral, could be bacterial. The head congestion is quite likely a sinus infection, also could be viral, could be bacterial, could even (ugh!) be a yeast infection. candida infections of the sinuses are not uncommon, and should be cultured for, particularly in chronic cases like yours.

Definitely see a doctor if you've had it for this long. They're the only one with the means to determine what's really causing this. Your doc will run a course of tests to determine what the source of the infection is, and then prescribe from there. The problem with letting this go on is that you're continually running your body's immune system and recovery capacity down, and this can open the door to an ongoing vicious cycle.


yes cutting back on dairy can absolutely help cut down on your congestion. As can cutting back on sugar. We eat way too much of both in the Western diet, there's no question of that. Keep in mind that holistic medicine is one third common sense, one third useful herbal lore/dietary tips, and one third pure quackery, none of which is a good substitute for a course of Keflex if you've a head full of strep.

last tip: The major downfall of antibiotics is that they do nuke pretty much all the flora in your system, including the beneficial strains in your gut. Therefore, if the doc does prescribe a course of antibiotics, please make sure to refresh your GI tract afterwards with a good probiotic supplement, which will be available in the cooler section of any health supplements / GNC / Whole Foods type place. plain old supermarket yoghurt kinda sorta works for this, but it's maybe about 10% effective at best, so skip it and get the real deal.
posted by lonefrontranger at 1:56 PM on September 19, 2006

I vote for a new allergy. do you have any pets?
I have this exact issue and it is caused by my nose running at night and my lungs filling with the phlegm
posted by Megafly at 3:49 PM on September 19, 2006

To me, this definitely sounds like sinusitis (sinus infection).

The simplest way of saying what's important to avoid during sinusitis:
1) Sugar, because it feeds bacteria.
2) Dairy, because it makes mucus, which both makes you cough and gives bacteria closed/wet spaces to grow in.

Seeing a doctor is always a good idea when a cough lasts this long, but especially in the case of sinusitis, because s/he can prescribe antibiotics that can both stop this round of sinusitis and help keep it from recurring in the future. I think lonefrontranger is exactly right in suggesting you pay attention to "anti-antibiotics" treatment too.
posted by allterrainbrain at 11:58 PM on September 19, 2006