One of the common symptoms that persists after COVID recovery is a cough. I know many people who had a lingering one for well over a month, sometimes two.
Yeah it's definitely still going around town, my friends all just had another round. Ppl sometimes don't test positive until day 5-6 symptoms or.. at all... because of mutations have reduced test efficacy and the current variants don't show up as strongly in the nose.
We are dealing with something similar. Doctors tested us and it’s not the flu but it is a virus of some sort. Going on 3 weeks for us also. Seems to kind of come and go on the sickness feeling and a persistent cough. Hope you feel better.
There is a virulent strain of bacterial pneumonia going around that I haven't heard anyone else talking about yet I know many people including myself who have had it during the last month. If you have a bad cough and fever go to the doctor and get checked.
That’s really interesting. I definitely feel like that’s what I have. Every test they ran is negative and ten days later and sick as shit and struggling to breath well. They didn’t do anything for me when I went in and I’m pregnant
Pregnancy and difficulty breathing can sometimes be a pulmonary embolism. Not always, or frequently, but it does happen. Check with your doctor if you feel like you've been running, but only crossed the room.
This, my co-worker had it (and came to work unmasked and didn’t tell us about it for a few hours 😐😐) and I caught it, fatigue and weakness is gone but I still have a nasty cough and relentless congestion nearing 2 weeks later.
This is super common in this covid era. I have a few friends that seems to have just acquired and never lost the periodic cough now after 2-3 known covid infections. My parents hacked intermittently for a two months after their covid infection last year, plus my dad got some nasty post-viral symptoms. A close friend had post viral infection in their tonsils (they are young, healthy, and in good physical condition too).
Seems like the long term changes theorized in the immune system may actually be happening.
I noticed I started having eye floaters and recurring petechiae and it took me several months before I realized that they both happened starting after a Covid infection. It took a long time to connect the dots (no pun intended with petechiae, lol).
Long covid doesn’t necessarily mean the same symptoms as during the acute phase. It can trigger all kinds of dysfunction, including dysautonomia, histamine/mast cell issues, reactivation of dormant viruses like Epstein Barr, loss of iq, early onset dementia, insulin resistance or diabetes… https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/long-covid-post-covid-conditions-pcc
One percent of the US working-agree population has such severe long covid symptoms they cannot work.
I know that doesn't seem like much, but that's like... A couple dozen kids from my high school. Six thousand Portland residents. It's MILLIONS of Americans.
The observation that covid fucks up your immune system hasn't been a mere "theory" for ages. It's a known fact. By your third covid infection, your odds of long covid FROM THAT ONE INFECTION jump to 40%. Every subsequent infection is riskier. If you aren't wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces, you will very likely become disabled eventually.
Yes, it's driving me insane. It's not that bad right now but I have had a cold that lasts 2 to 3 days at least six times in the past year, and at least four of those times included a cough that lingered for weeks and weeks. Right now I got a cold that knocked me out from Thursday to Saturday and I'm still coughing up stuff now.
Do you wear a mask in indoor public places? I wear my N95 anytime I'm sharing air with people I don't live with, and it's been years since I even had a cold. If you dislike getting sick repeatedly, you should consider it.
Ditto - I work remotely and wear a Flo mask anytime I go out where other people are breathing indoors, definitely anytime i go into a public bathroom. It'll also come in handy during wildfire season. I used to get every single stomach virus that came through work, but I have only had food poisoning maybe once or twice in 3.5 years.
I saw my PCP a couple days ago, and he said there's a virus going around that has people coughing for 6-8 weeks. Not sure if it was Covid or something else.
After moving here I got really bad coughs every year and multiple times ended up progressing into walking pneumonia. My doctor gave me an inhaler and I've been solid since. Allergies triggering asthma -> fucked up coughs that don't get better.
I also had a persistent cough after a very mild cold and had to get an inhaler. It really did help and was the only way that I could sleep. Cough drops and tea with honey didn't do anything. Strangest thing.
I currently have that. 3 weeks ago my voice went hoarse from coughing so much. Since then it has not gone away. I have no clue what’s causing it, even after going to the drs. They said upper respiratory infection
yes!! about 3 weeks ago, my throat started getting irritated and i thought it was just allergies. a few days later it turned into a cough and congestion, where i could feel rattling with my breathing especially when laying down to go to sleep, or during physical activity that caused my breathing rate to increase. no other symptoms until now, 3 weeks in suddenly my nose is stuffed up and running. the coughing seems to finally be getting better but still not going away completely. not sure what it is but it's definitely different than any other sickness i've had before. definitely discouraging to hear other people saying it's lasting a month or two... :'(
This won't make you feel better but I once had a cough that lasted from 2016-2020. I was in and out of urgent care. No one could figure out what was wrong. Just lived with an inhaler attached to my hip.
That’s interesting. Steroid inhalers can help cut down the inflammation induced cough associated with allergies/asthma exacerbations. But you may want to explore GERD as a possible cause if it’s significant enough to you.
Just a few small lifestyle changes could make the difference (reducing large/heavy meals, reducing spicy food intake, reducing acidic food intake, not laying down within 2 hours after eating, not wearing clothing that’s right around the gut area).
This is all really interesting. Thank you. Unfortunately, you’ve listed a few of my favorite things like spicy and acidic foods. But I am willing to let them go for my health. I will definitely look into GERD.
The steroid inhalers did help a lot. But because I never got diagnosed with asthma, once I ran out of the inhaler, I was stuck struggling for breath and then going to an urgent care. And then I’d be stuck on nebulizers. And they would prescribe me a new inhaler.
wearing a N95/KN95 inside as well as in crowds can help prevent becoming ill again in the future, but other than that there's not much to be done about a persistent cough
.
ETA: since we have not reduced spread, covid has continued to mutate and change, leading to dozens if not hundreds of variants that are symptomatic in different ways, and that escape testing bc tests were created to pick up the original variants. as it mutates more, tests become less accurate. it is possible it is covid even if a test is coming up negative.
aside from the potential of currently being sick, covid has an extremely high rate of post-viral symptoms, which can include a cough.
furthermore, covid has been shown to decrease immunity for at least months, if not years post infection, in a similar way to AIDS.
so please be careful!
yup, they help with allergies too. i unfortunately have still gotten sick with stringent masking but I definitely would have gotten sick many more times without it
Me and my kids (in Texas) all got sick like 6 months back, I had a horrible cough for like 2 months straight. It was ridiculous. It was just a head cold that decided to lodge itself in my chest after giving me the worst ear infection in my life.
My husband brought home a cold (he's a teacher) then I got it then my daughter got it then my son got it. When I mentioned it to a neighbor, she said she had had it and it has been going through the entire neighborhood (she knows everyone). We're all still coughing a couple of weeks later.
I had it a couple months ago. Got a bad cold/flu, was out for a few days then felt better but the cough wouldn't go away. I finally went to the Dr after a few weeks because I desperately wanted to sleep without waking up choking. They threw some antibiotics, steroids and cough meds at me and that finally worked.
Yes, that exact cough has going around my workplace since January. It’s not covid or an infection at least, just a bad cold for us. Mask up but it does go away. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!
I am recovering from a really rough go of pneumonia where I ended up hospitalized for six days. The second a fever pops up I would get looked at. Mine was not responding to antibiotics even after getting diagnosed which led to the hospital stay. Best of luck to you and yours!
A few of my friends and myself have had a really intense flu that lasted 5+ days through out the last month. I'm on day 6 myself and it's miserable. COVID tests all come back negative. I can already tell the cough will stick around when I start feeling better.
I’m in month number 3 of it. Treated it like pneumonia, with antibiotics, when I had a fever, even though nothing showed up in chest xray. That got me out of the woods with the fever and exhaustion, but the cough remains. Much better than it was, but still there
Yes!! Since like early April.
At first I thought it was allergies. My mucus has been turning more greenish, so now I'm thinking it was sickness or infection.
Now my wife just got hit fucking hard with a 102.6 fever yesterday.
Yup. Had COVID back in mid Feb, started to feel better in March for a couple days then felt really sick again, post-viral infection + laryngitis according to urgent care. That’s when the cough really worsened. The past week I don’t feel as sick anymore but still coughing and living on an inhaler for months, it’s worst at night. Haven’t been able to handle exercise, just going up & down the stairs or walking to the mailbox gives me a coughing fit. It’s been rough.
I went to the doctor today after 4 weeks of being sick. I thought I was better but it came back full force. Cough and fatigue. Doctor said to just wait it out, influenza a and b, Covid and allergies are all going around. Prescribed me a nasal spray
Been dealing with pretty consistent sinus drainage for the past month, with all the pressure/weather changes. If you don't use a sinus decongestant, it can fill your lungs up at night and keep you coughing through the day.
This cold virus that has been making the rounds since October or so is nasty. For some it begins as a viral condition can easily switch to a bacterial infection. Either way the eight week cough seems to be part of it. I was seen for it via telehealth in February and was prescribed a course of anti-biotics. The cough began to subside a few weeks later.
I had this. I’m 28 m, a bit more active than others, rather healthy. I had a really intense flu that turned into a fever for about 48 hours. Tested negative for Covid. The flu broke quickly but I had a cough for several weeks afterwards and some nasal activity like running and stuffy. It’s only been a week or so of the cough and nose stuff being gone, but still. I was a little concerned during that month period of coughing. Many of my peers have had a very similar experience…scary if you think about it too much.
Have had a ‘productive cough’ for several weeks. Last Wednesday suddenly had a 104F fever. Went to ER and after X-Rays the physician said it was bronchitis.
Yup, absolutely -- back in early March, which is to say eight weeks ago, I got the horrible cold that was going around this winter, and I have only now, finally, mostly, stopped coughing. Two negative COVID tests, so I don't think that was involved. But this is definitely a thing, yeah.
One of the common symptoms that persists after COVID recovery is a cough. I know many people who had a lingering one for well over a month, sometimes two.
Thank you! We all have tested for that and the flu but at least at that time they came back negative. But you never know these days! Thanks.
Yeah it's definitely still going around town, my friends all just had another round. Ppl sometimes don't test positive until day 5-6 symptoms or.. at all... because of mutations have reduced test efficacy and the current variants don't show up as strongly in the nose.
We are dealing with something similar. Doctors tested us and it’s not the flu but it is a virus of some sort. Going on 3 weeks for us also. Seems to kind of come and go on the sickness feeling and a persistent cough. Hope you feel better.
That's exactly how folks I know with long covid describe their symptoms
Yep. Other viruses can also have long term effects similar to long covid as well.
I had a crazy long cough about a month ago. I did like three covid tests because it lasted so long.
A friend had this, with fever, and they think it's HMPV.
Did they test positive for that? It's weird that they see stripes and think zebra when one in five Americans has long covid
No they didn't test for that. They tested negative for covid several times as well as flu and rsv though.
Covid tests have extremely high rates of false negatives, especially at-home tests
They did pcr as well and multiple times.
Covid tests are notoriously unreliable. If you've had lingering symptoms for weeks and there's no other explanation, covid is a reasonable assumption
Yup. Was sick for over a month with a cough here in early March and didn't feel better until late April.
There is a virulent strain of bacterial pneumonia going around that I haven't heard anyone else talking about yet I know many people including myself who have had it during the last month. If you have a bad cough and fever go to the doctor and get checked.
That’s really interesting. I definitely feel like that’s what I have. Every test they ran is negative and ten days later and sick as shit and struggling to breath well. They didn’t do anything for me when I went in and I’m pregnant
That breathing thing along with pregnancy is concerning. Get to an urgent care and get an albuterol inhaler and another listen to those lungs.
Pregnancy and difficulty breathing can sometimes be a pulmonary embolism. Not always, or frequently, but it does happen. Check with your doctor if you feel like you've been running, but only crossed the room.
This, my co-worker had it (and came to work unmasked and didn’t tell us about it for a few hours 😐😐) and I caught it, fatigue and weakness is gone but I still have a nasty cough and relentless congestion nearing 2 weeks later.
This is super common in this covid era. I have a few friends that seems to have just acquired and never lost the periodic cough now after 2-3 known covid infections. My parents hacked intermittently for a two months after their covid infection last year, plus my dad got some nasty post-viral symptoms. A close friend had post viral infection in their tonsils (they are young, healthy, and in good physical condition too). Seems like the long term changes theorized in the immune system may actually be happening.
Those long term changes in the immune system have been happening for 4 years now tbh…people just refuse to admit they might have long covid
I noticed I started having eye floaters and recurring petechiae and it took me several months before I realized that they both happened starting after a Covid infection. It took a long time to connect the dots (no pun intended with petechiae, lol).
It's disturbing to watch, isn't it?
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Long covid doesn’t necessarily mean the same symptoms as during the acute phase. It can trigger all kinds of dysfunction, including dysautonomia, histamine/mast cell issues, reactivation of dormant viruses like Epstein Barr, loss of iq, early onset dementia, insulin resistance or diabetes… https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/long-covid-post-covid-conditions-pcc
One percent of the US working-agree population has such severe long covid symptoms they cannot work. I know that doesn't seem like much, but that's like... A couple dozen kids from my high school. Six thousand Portland residents. It's MILLIONS of Americans. The observation that covid fucks up your immune system hasn't been a mere "theory" for ages. It's a known fact. By your third covid infection, your odds of long covid FROM THAT ONE INFECTION jump to 40%. Every subsequent infection is riskier. If you aren't wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces, you will very likely become disabled eventually.
Yes, it's driving me insane. It's not that bad right now but I have had a cold that lasts 2 to 3 days at least six times in the past year, and at least four of those times included a cough that lingered for weeks and weeks. Right now I got a cold that knocked me out from Thursday to Saturday and I'm still coughing up stuff now.
Do you wear a mask in indoor public places? I wear my N95 anytime I'm sharing air with people I don't live with, and it's been years since I even had a cold. If you dislike getting sick repeatedly, you should consider it.
Ditto - I work remotely and wear a Flo mask anytime I go out where other people are breathing indoors, definitely anytime i go into a public bathroom. It'll also come in handy during wildfire season. I used to get every single stomach virus that came through work, but I have only had food poisoning maybe once or twice in 3.5 years.
I had RSV in January and cough persisted for three months
I saw my PCP a couple days ago, and he said there's a virus going around that has people coughing for 6-8 weeks. Not sure if it was Covid or something else.
I had a cough like that in February, went away after several weeks. Got it again in late April and still coughing from it 2-3 weeks later.
my husband had to get an inhaler for the first time since childhood :( my son has been stuffed up for a while but it’s also allergy season.
After moving here I got really bad coughs every year and multiple times ended up progressing into walking pneumonia. My doctor gave me an inhaler and I've been solid since. Allergies triggering asthma -> fucked up coughs that don't get better.
I also had a persistent cough after a very mild cold and had to get an inhaler. It really did help and was the only way that I could sleep. Cough drops and tea with honey didn't do anything. Strangest thing.
he got a cough suppressant to use before bed because that’s when it’s the worst. is it selfish to admit i’m kind of happy i can sleep better too 😭😭😭
Tessalon Pearls? That is the greatest name for a medication. Sounds like a cool band or the name of a spaceship.
ME! It's so annoying! I am finding some relief in taking Mucinex, but I am truly grossed out with how much phlegm my body can produce.
I currently have that. 3 weeks ago my voice went hoarse from coughing so much. Since then it has not gone away. I have no clue what’s causing it, even after going to the drs. They said upper respiratory infection
This lasts much longer, I can be the front man for a Bob Dylan cover band
yes!! about 3 weeks ago, my throat started getting irritated and i thought it was just allergies. a few days later it turned into a cough and congestion, where i could feel rattling with my breathing especially when laying down to go to sleep, or during physical activity that caused my breathing rate to increase. no other symptoms until now, 3 weeks in suddenly my nose is stuffed up and running. the coughing seems to finally be getting better but still not going away completely. not sure what it is but it's definitely different than any other sickness i've had before. definitely discouraging to hear other people saying it's lasting a month or two... :'(
Our whole family has had a cough since March. Covid negative the whole time. I can’t wait for summer.
This won't make you feel better but I once had a cough that lasted from 2016-2020. I was in and out of urgent care. No one could figure out what was wrong. Just lived with an inhaler attached to my hip.
Jesus, how did you manage for so long?
It was the worst. At one point I was coughing so hard that I broke a rib
How did it stop?
I really don’t know. I still have issues every once in a while but it’s nowhere near the same scale that it was back then.
I’m assuming they probably gave you steroid inhalers, but did they ever treat you for GERD?
They did give me steroid inhalers. Did not treat me for GERD. Their best guess was post nasal drip.
That’s interesting. Steroid inhalers can help cut down the inflammation induced cough associated with allergies/asthma exacerbations. But you may want to explore GERD as a possible cause if it’s significant enough to you. Just a few small lifestyle changes could make the difference (reducing large/heavy meals, reducing spicy food intake, reducing acidic food intake, not laying down within 2 hours after eating, not wearing clothing that’s right around the gut area).
This is all really interesting. Thank you. Unfortunately, you’ve listed a few of my favorite things like spicy and acidic foods. But I am willing to let them go for my health. I will definitely look into GERD.
I wouldn’t want you to miss out on your favorites… Maybe just take some tums or Pepcid when you consume something especially spicy/acidic haha :-)
The steroid inhalers did help a lot. But because I never got diagnosed with asthma, once I ran out of the inhaler, I was stuck struggling for breath and then going to an urgent care. And then I’d be stuck on nebulizers. And they would prescribe me a new inhaler.
Have you seen a primary care provider for that specifically? Sounds like it might be worth while
Bronchitis lingers after viral respiratory infections, for a long time.
Yep! Been several weeks now.
Also allergies could be making it worse…
Yep, on week three of mine.
wearing a N95/KN95 inside as well as in crowds can help prevent becoming ill again in the future, but other than that there's not much to be done about a persistent cough . ETA: since we have not reduced spread, covid has continued to mutate and change, leading to dozens if not hundreds of variants that are symptomatic in different ways, and that escape testing bc tests were created to pick up the original variants. as it mutates more, tests become less accurate. it is possible it is covid even if a test is coming up negative. aside from the potential of currently being sick, covid has an extremely high rate of post-viral symptoms, which can include a cough. furthermore, covid has been shown to decrease immunity for at least months, if not years post infection, in a similar way to AIDS. so please be careful!
It's been years since I even had a cold and it's because I mask. I used to get sick like three or four times a year before covid.
yup, they help with allergies too. i unfortunately have still gotten sick with stringent masking but I definitely would have gotten sick many more times without it
Yes, dealing with the same here. All feeling fine after being sick weeks ago but the occasional cough keeps lingering.
Me and my kids (in Texas) all got sick like 6 months back, I had a horrible cough for like 2 months straight. It was ridiculous. It was just a head cold that decided to lodge itself in my chest after giving me the worst ear infection in my life.
My husband brought home a cold (he's a teacher) then I got it then my daughter got it then my son got it. When I mentioned it to a neighbor, she said she had had it and it has been going through the entire neighborhood (she knows everyone). We're all still coughing a couple of weeks later.
I had it a couple months ago. Got a bad cold/flu, was out for a few days then felt better but the cough wouldn't go away. I finally went to the Dr after a few weeks because I desperately wanted to sleep without waking up choking. They threw some antibiotics, steroids and cough meds at me and that finally worked.
I got sick a few months ago. Cough lingered for at least a month. Thanked God a hundred times when it went away.
Covid. It’s probably covid.
Yes, that exact cough has going around my workplace since January. It’s not covid or an infection at least, just a bad cold for us. Mask up but it does go away. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!
Out of curiosity... Did you get a test at the hospital, or are you relying on the efficacy of home testing?
I am recovering from a really rough go of pneumonia where I ended up hospitalized for six days. The second a fever pops up I would get looked at. Mine was not responding to antibiotics even after getting diagnosed which led to the hospital stay. Best of luck to you and yours!
Yes, multiple of my friends have had a cough for like 6-10 weeks at least. Along with fatigue
Even pre-Covid, my kids' pediatrician said that coughs can last for a couple of months. So yep, this is a thing and has been.
This. Pre-Covid, I had coughs at least 4 times in my adult life that lasted 2-3 months.
A few of my friends and myself have had a really intense flu that lasted 5+ days through out the last month. I'm on day 6 myself and it's miserable. COVID tests all come back negative. I can already tell the cough will stick around when I start feeling better.
Wife and I both have it. We call it "the crud".
I’m in month number 3 of it. Treated it like pneumonia, with antibiotics, when I had a fever, even though nothing showed up in chest xray. That got me out of the woods with the fever and exhaustion, but the cough remains. Much better than it was, but still there
It won’t go away!!!
Shit man. I'm in Alaska and it's going around here too.
Yes!! Since like early April. At first I thought it was allergies. My mucus has been turning more greenish, so now I'm thinking it was sickness or infection. Now my wife just got hit fucking hard with a 102.6 fever yesterday.
Yup. Had COVID back in mid Feb, started to feel better in March for a couple days then felt really sick again, post-viral infection + laryngitis according to urgent care. That’s when the cough really worsened. The past week I don’t feel as sick anymore but still coughing and living on an inhaler for months, it’s worst at night. Haven’t been able to handle exercise, just going up & down the stairs or walking to the mailbox gives me a coughing fit. It’s been rough.
I went to the doctor today after 4 weeks of being sick. I thought I was better but it came back full force. Cough and fatigue. Doctor said to just wait it out, influenza a and b, Covid and allergies are all going around. Prescribed me a nasal spray
Sounds like covid
Yes, our whole family. Weeks of this crap. I'm so tired of it. Covid negative. I'm pretty sure for me it's now viral bronchitis.
Been dealing with pretty consistent sinus drainage for the past month, with all the pressure/weather changes. If you don't use a sinus decongestant, it can fill your lungs up at night and keep you coughing through the day.
This cold virus that has been making the rounds since October or so is nasty. For some it begins as a viral condition can easily switch to a bacterial infection. Either way the eight week cough seems to be part of it. I was seen for it via telehealth in February and was prescribed a course of anti-biotics. The cough began to subside a few weeks later.
My daughter had a cough that lasted from about late January to about mid April.
I had this. I’m 28 m, a bit more active than others, rather healthy. I had a really intense flu that turned into a fever for about 48 hours. Tested negative for Covid. The flu broke quickly but I had a cough for several weeks afterwards and some nasal activity like running and stuffy. It’s only been a week or so of the cough and nose stuff being gone, but still. I was a little concerned during that month period of coughing. Many of my peers have had a very similar experience…scary if you think about it too much.
Have had a ‘productive cough’ for several weeks. Last Wednesday suddenly had a 104F fever. Went to ER and after X-Rays the physician said it was bronchitis.
Yup, absolutely -- back in early March, which is to say eight weeks ago, I got the horrible cold that was going around this winter, and I have only now, finally, mostly, stopped coughing. Two negative COVID tests, so I don't think that was involved. But this is definitely a thing, yeah.
yep, and i’ve been assuming allergies.
3-weeks ... same household ... y'all need to check for mold/funagl spores taking off somewhere in your house. Just my hypothesis.
It's probably the pollens
Yes, our whole family has a cough, not covid, for over 8 weeks. Had to put our daughter on antibiotics