Long lasting cold - should I be worried?

bejuce · 01-09-2011, 01:00 PM

I've had a cold for 3 weeks now. It started
with a productive cough (green mucus) and it seemed
to get better but yesterday I felt worse
(with a sore throat). I've taking Sudafed for about a week now and the mucus and cough seem better at times and worse at others.

I drank some hot chocolate last night and my throat felt better but I still have a slight cough today.

Trying not to panic... I have a chest x-ray planned
for the 18th and I hope I'll get better by then. Should I request a CT scan as well? How do I know that this is indeed a coldand not lung mets???

Thanks!!!

Marcia

Delaney · 01-09-2011, 01:29 PM

Marcia, I think its just a bad cold/flu. my healthy 23 year old daughter has had the very same symptons for what seems AGES now. Some days it seems she is fine then back to coughing the next day. At least you have the x-ray coming soon, that should allay your fears. Dont worry before you have to. Also, I had lung mets and no symptons at all, never even had a cough!

DeenaH · 01-09-2011, 01:51 PM

I was going to say the same thing as Delaney. I have had a cough since October. It turned into bronchitis, and is still not completely gone. Now I have a sinus infection. I had spots on my lungs on a CT in October, so I was also worried about lung mets with my cough. My chest xray was clear though. I have talked to several people who did not have any symptoms with lung mets too, so most likely you just have a bad cold. Since treatment, I'm sure it is just harder for our bodies to fight things off. Feel better soon.

Jackie07 · 01-09-2011, 06:06 PM

Marcia,

Things containing caffeine will drain fluid from the cell membrane. Be sure to drink several cups of water whenever you drink either coffee or hot chocolate.

A green mucus is a sign of infection, you might want to let your doctor know and see if a prescription of antibiotics is needed to clear the infection.

Hope you feel better soon.

Joan M · 01-09-2011, 06:37 PM

Marcia,

In having had a lung met, I don't blame you for being concerned. I would agree with Jackie about speaking to your GP about an antibiotic. Perhaps it's just a bug. However, it's good that you're having a chest x-ray anyway. And I believe that anything large enough to cause you to have a cold for three weeks would show up.

I had no symptoms of my lung met. My oncologist had been scanning me fairly regularly when I had early stage bc starting in 2003 because I was HER2+, ER-/PR- and had seven positive nodes. The lung met was caught at 9 mm in January 2007. The fact that you're ER+ is a good thing.

Feel better.

Joan

caya · 01-09-2011, 07:17 PM

Marcia my 23 year old daughter recently also had a forever cough/cold/green mucus - it turned out to be bronchitis- she needed 2 rounds of the z-pac (zithromax).

Why don't you go see your GP?

all the best
caya

MJo · 01-10-2011, 06:30 PM

Try a shot of bourbon with the Sudafed.

Seriously...sounds like a bad, bad cold. Get well soon.

KDR · 01-10-2011, 06:43 PM

I had this thing for 32 days! It came on strong and lingered and lingered. Sometimes I would even cough in the middle of sentence because getting a breath to speak was irritating. Don't worry it will resolve. Use a cool mist humidifier at night, lots of Simply Saline, maybe a Neti Pot if you have one. I also had to go on Prednisone to open the airways, but I have a respiratory history from the WTC. Part of my regimen is Singulair, Combivent, Symbocort (both inhalers), too. Another part of the story, but complicates things. But, whatever is going around this season has a common refrain: sinusitis, bronchitis, even pneumonia.

bejuce · 01-11-2011, 09:07 PM

Thank you all for your responses! I was feeling really crappy yesterday but better today. I had the misfortune of attending boring meetings in a stuffed conference room all day yesterday. When I got there at 8 my nose was clear, but by 10 o'clock I was all congested again. Went to the bathroom to blow my nose and all came a lot of green mucus. I could feel some mucus in my throat and coughed this nasty green mucus clump with a brownish coloration. That of course freaked me out completely and I spent the rest of the day trying to get a hold of a doctor during my breaks and pretend to pay attention at the meetings.

When I got home at night I called the oncologist on call who told me it's most likely a nasty viral. She said that lung mets usually are not associated with mucus and present themselves with a dry cough or shortness of breath. Not sure if I believe that or not given all that I've read so far online about lung mets.

I have an appt with a primary care doctor tomorrow and hopefully I'll get her to listen to my lungs and tell me that it's just a cold. Either way, I have a chest x-ray scheduled on Monday as part of preparation for a vaccine trial that I'm thinking of joining (see related post) so I should find out one way or the other soon.

BTW, are lung mets usually visible on a chest x-ray? When should I ask for a CT scan?

Thanks!!!

Marcia

bejuce · 01-20-2011, 12:58 AM

I finally was able to get a doctor to see me last week and I was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I'm taking antibiotics and feel much, much better. Haven't done a chest X-ray yet, but my lungs sounded perfectly clear.

Thanks for your good wishes, this group is awesome!