Sick Again Pt 2

This cough and cold had been getting worse. I'm constantly blowing my nose and loudly coughing. The cough has evolved over the past few days and has gotten much more intense with lots of raspy wheezing. Now my abdomen hurts each time I cough. I decided to contact my doctor to get some serious medications and information.

I went on the patient portal a few days ago and sent this message:

Dr. Charles

I’m contacting you about a very severe cold that has my wife and I concerned. I have a runny nose, sneezing and constant cough that is harsh, raspy, wet and congested.  I get a pain in my abdomen each time I cough. However, I have not had any fever, sore throat or fatigue. This is my second bad cold since April. The first lasted two weeks but was not as severe or intense as this one. I’m a little over a week into this second cold. I am fairly sure I got both colds from recent visits with grandchildren. I tested negative for Covid-19 near the beginning of each cold. I’ve been taking ibuprofen and pseudoephedrine capsules every day along with tussin cough syrup, zinc tablets and lots of Echinacea immune support tea. Plenty of bed rest too.

Is there any other medication or treatment that you would recommend? Any over the counter medications beyond what I am doing that would help? Do I need to come in to the office to see someone or televisit? I’ve also been looking at information on medical sites and realize I may have to ride this out another week or two before seeking medical help but I wanted to bring this to your attention.

Also, I will be coming in for an annual checkup in August. I wanted to double check on my pneumonia and shingles shots. I know I received the first shots but I’m not sure about the second ones. Do my records indicate I need the follow-up shots? If so then I can go to a pharmacy and get that done.

Thanks,

George Emery

My doctor's office contacted me about twenty minutes after posting my message. Dr. Charles had read my document and wanted to address the issues. A nurse called me a couple of hours later and we discussed my symptoms. The first person I had spoken with earlier had recommended that I get a PCR Covid-19 test even though I had just taken a rapid home test. She really wanted to make sure that I was not suffering from the coronavirus. 

She also got me three prescriptions of cold medicines including tablets for my cough, some antihistamine congestion tablets and a nasal spray. Plus I was to continue with my over the counter medicines. 

I got the PCR test over at the temporary setup in a parking lot on Hertel Avenue. It was a quick process where they stuck a swap down my throat. I was in and out in about twenty minutes including the paperwork. It still took a couple of days to get the results which were negative. I think they got my email wrong because I had to call them to get the results which they said was sent. They sent it again and I was able to take the email attachment and send that on to my doctor's office.

Here it is four days after getting the medication from the nurse and I'm still sick. Now Becky is coughing too. I've been sick now for about a week and a half.