Any cure for the "Chest rattle & cough"?
General Topic
With cooler weather I find I'm once again being plagued by an eventual chest rattle that forces an unwanted cough to loosen & expel it. I believe it's caused by a post nasal drip due to the cold air. Has anyone found a cure for this? Thanks!
A trip to a. Medical professional Will help you out.
Be careful, not trying to scare you but about 5 years ago I kept coughing and thought it was the crud, they suspect I may have had pneumonia ..shortly after I had a blood clot in my calf that broke off and went to my lungs. The clots were tiny and the doctors didn't seem worried about the tiny clots but found another spot in my lungs. I had taken strong antibiotics before I had the clot so the spot was left over infection that did go away. Point is ..They think I probably had pneumonia and the antibiotics had cleared out most of the infection by the time they did the CT scan. If it don't go away..go to the dr
Let me clarify. I get this every year from the cold. I also have allergies. My nose will run a bit & I get post nasal drip that eventually builds up & starts rattling & forces a cough to expel it. I appreciate your concerns but can honestly tell you my health is good.
Just wondering if anyone else experiences this & found a way to combat it.
Ok, yea I get allergies usually in the spring and fall. I've dealt with it all my life. Dr told me to take Allegra everyday. My daughter inlaw has it real bad and she gets the allergy shots. Other than over the counter meds I don't know of anything to take. With me, sometimes fragrances or chemicals will trigger it. I will even get flu like symptoms with that mess. If you take meds for allergies, the Dr told me I need to take it everyday..as a preventative
I am not a Dr, nor do I claim to be one on Bowsite, but for my sinus troubles this time of year I make some hot lemon honey tea, drop a honey, lemon cough drop in tea... I then fill my pocket full of the cough drops... use as needed during the hunt. scentman
Hot springs for a couple hours or sauna. Lots of fluids and a few hours in a row can break it for a time. Depending on allergies it will come back but maybe not for a couple weeks.
I have the same problem for years and combine that with copd and it is a nightmare. Been down the medical road with no help. I take 4oz of good bourbon out with me when I hunt at home. A sip every hour does the trick for me. I have tried everything from over the market cough, cold, sinus, you name it I have tried it. Talked to pharmacist's, and ear nose and throat doctors. I have a chest scan every year. No one has a remedy. Nothing worse than 30 minutes of last light and you know you are going cough. Good luck,I will be following this thread.
I used to get that every winter. Every time I'd try to talk or sing it would make me cough a few times.
By chance I started taking zinc and vitamin D3 when all the covid stuff started and haven't had any of that since! If I ever feel like a little sinus drip, sinusitus or a cold coming on I start taking the zinc and D3 again and in a day or so it's gone.
Kind of a crazy revelation for me as, no cold or sinus meds have ever helped in any way. Docs I saw always gave antibiotics and wanted me to try inhailers.
For me it's been super simple fix with zinc and vitamin D3. Go figure !!!
Cheers, Pete
c3, I'll try D3. Or is it D3, and try c3? Oh, we'll I'll figure it out!lol!
When I turned 22 I started having seasonal allergy issues. Dealt with it for years but have finally got on a regiment that is working. I take a singulair at night with a shot of flonase in each nostril right before bed. No more runny nose and the sneezing is nearly gone. Doubt that helps you, but it has really helped me a lot.
I tried the Flonase but it irritated the tissue in my nose.
Moonshine, honey, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Where a moist balaclava over your mouth
If you have a chest rattle, you may have chronic bronchitis or possibly walking pneumonia! Do mess around with that! Get to a doctor and see what's going on! For the coughing, I love "Fishermans Friend" there isn't a better cough drop out there that I know of, and I have tried them all!
I hope you figure it out and feel better!!
I made a homemade cough muffler by drilling some holes in the bottom of a pop bottle. and filling it with rolled up paper towels. Silly thing works pretty good.
I get it every year in January. I guess because of my constant allergies. No way I know to cure it except ride it out.
Have you tried a doctor yet?
Good place to start I think
Talk to your Dr., Flonase for allergies, an inhaler and Fisherman's Friend lozenges are always on hand for me during hunting season.
That little cough muffler thingy that was sold years ago does work for deer and turkeys.
I dealt with this for over 30 years. Having the sinus surgery and allergy testing. Found out what I was allergic too. I would the stuffy nose crap in the spring and fall. Fall time was the worst. I would get so sick. Just like some of you guys. A Dr. friend of mine who is an ENT doctor that also did my surgery told me about the NASAL IRRIAGATOR. Not a netty pot. The would take this thing to work an do me sinus 2-3 times a shift. I worked in nursing in the MICU. We always got the sick of the sick. Here is what happens, in the spring. You have all your pollens. By flushing you sinuses out, you get the pollen out. In the fall, you have ragweed and mold spores. Remember were you are at, in the woods. Dead and or dying leaves. The mucus gets thick in you sinuses and causes problems in your throat. Which leads to broncitis. The hardest part of this, is getting use to shooting the salt water up into your sinuses. But, once you get use to it, you will ask yourself why you didn't do it sooner. You also have to remember that 90% of your coldest start in your sinuses. It's a warm dark and moist area. Plus, with my daily meds. I take an OTC allergy meds. morning and night. J ust my thought.
Listen fellas.........I'm not sick!
This is just something that happens when I sit for a while in the cold air. I get a little post nasal drip that wants to be coughed up.
It's not pneumonia or chronic bronchitis or anything else like that.
There is no sickness, virus, or germs of any kind involved.
I thought this would be a simple question but you guys have me with one foot in the grave.
I appreciate your concerns but they are unwarranted. I've talked to others who get this & thought maybe someone here did too & might have a solution. I've tried Flonase, antihistamines, even the Novage thing & nothing seems to work.
Go to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. They can give you script for a spray that will probably dry your nasal passages up. At the very least you need to be checked out anyway.
Not PC today ..... back in the day all the old farmers carried a half pint of blackberry brandy while out and about. It does help a cough for sure.
Sounds like big toe cancer
I'm just kidding, that is what we say in our family when someone is being a hypochondriac.
and I don't think your being a hypochondriac. Most of the time when I go to the Dr they tell me to go home and wait two weeks.
Nomad, I understand exactly what you are saying. A little nip every hour or so works. I doesn't take much. PC or not. I have never worried about being PC. No worse than taking a cough suppressant or some other OTC cold remedy The alcohol dries the nasal passage out some and thins the mucus in your throat.
Nomad, I've found a neti pot with homemade saline is helpful, and if it gets extreme enough to cough up snot, use pseudoephedrine(Sudafed). Don't let yourself get to the chest rattle. For the saline I use 1/2tspn baking soda and 1/2tspn sea salt in two cups of boiling water, then use it when it reaches room temperature.
Manuka honey USA. Order Manuka Oil. Take a hot shower, and blow all of the junk out. Take a Q tip and put a few drops of the Manuka Oil on, and swab each nostril. It lubricates, and is anti bacterial and anti microbial.
So assuming your not sick & just get congested around this time each year, I figure ya 2 choices, deal with it or move to a different climate.
This may sound strange to some but I believe onions have medicinal properties.
I eat a lot of onions & rarely get sick. Last time I've been sick was Dec 2021. "Covid" Not so much as the sniffles since. I put onions on almost everything I eat, coincidence ? Perhaps, don't know , I just like onions & rarely get sick. Now if only onions could fix heart disease.
Thanks xtroutx.......a little nip seems to be the most popular & simplest remedy. I'll give it a try.
2Wild Bill......I do have the Navage & have used it. Seems to help but not completely alleviate the problem. I will keep using it.
Starfire.......you were right! It's big toe cancer! Doctor xtroutx says 4oz of good bourbon will cure it. I'm assuming applied liberally!
I’d take you MD as opposed to bowsite members.
Timex, I agree onions, and garlic definitely have preventative health benefits. I have bad two-season allergies as well, and they've gotten worse as I age. Eating locally produced honey helps.
I have the same issues every year and I've found I've had to switch my allergy medications every few years. I go from Claritin, to Zyrtec, to Allegra and then back through again. I've found that has helped me a lot as my body gets used to a certain medication after a while.
If you ask a hunting-related question on Bowsite, you will get pointed and usually concise advice.
But if you ask medical advice, you will get a smorgasbord of rarely-good, mostly bad advice that is all over the place.
To the OP, if it's truly coming from your sinuses and truly comes as you says it does when it gets cold, your best two bets are either 1) a nasal steroid like Nasocort or Flonase (I prefer Nasocort because Flonase smells like a chemical/flower which makes me sneeze) or 2) a saline sinus rinse like McNeil Sinus Rinse may help you, but the steroid is the better bet. All of these things are over-the-counter.
If you go the steroid route, you must realize a couple things: 1. You have to shake it well each time because it separates. 2. It takes a week to start to work and takes at least 2 weeks to fully kick in and the effect is better after a month; most people try them once or twice and give up. It is the ounce of prevention, not the pound of cure. 3. If it dries you out and causes nose bleeds, stop it till your nose heals, then cut the dose and/or the frequency in 1/2 and you'll most likely be able to tolerate it.
I’ve had the same problem for as long as I can remember. Mine mostly drains to my throat at night, the I spend several hours in the morning coughing it up. Sinus meds with pseudoephedrine help the most, but my doctor told me to quit taking them because I have mild high blood pressure and the pseudoephedrine is bad for it. When it’s real bad, I take some anyway, and it really helps.
My wife, a Nurse of 53 years say's IF your health is good (as you say) take a Claritan or Zyrtex or Flonase. All over the counter. She keeps Claritan on hand.. Works wonders on G-kids with runny noses. No side effects.
I have been dealing with EXACTLY the same issue that you described. Usually about 30-45 minutes before dark and it was driving me crazy. Started taking 1 sudafed in the afternoon and it stopped it.
I have a cough silencer I will give away.
Musinex with the antihistamine works for me. I get exactlywhat you are describing. I only take it at night and usually I am good for the morning hunt without too much coughing.
Local Honey , I'm with Fuzzy
I have this crap as well. Went to my doctor a couple of years ago after an extended bout. He checked me out said the lungs were good, oxygen good, etc. Wrote me a prescription for Prilosec or something like that. Seemed to work. I just took an over-the-counter Prilosec and it seems to have calmed the coughing. I get it in the morning and late in the evening. May check that out among other things. Just could be acid reflex presenting itself as gas been stirred up and being inhaled. If you go to the Doc, maybe one of the things you can ask him about. Be a good idea to just get an overall checkup.
"Moonshine, honey, and fresh squeezed lemon juice."
Make sure it's high proof.
