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Suggest Treatment For Congestion And Bad Cough At Night
Question: I have had congestion and a bad cough at night. I was having a coughing spell and was trying to keep from waking everybody up and i felt a sharp pain in my left side. now every time i cough or laugh it feels like someone is stabbing me in the side. Real sharp pain is located on left side right at my lowest rib and is sore all around the area. It happened the night before last.
Brief Answer:
pleuritis/pleurisy
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
It is likely that the pain is due to pleuritic chest pain (pleurisy).
The pleura are lining on the outside of the lung.
They can sometimes become inflamed. When this occurs, it results in pain that is worse with coughing/laughing/sneezing.
This inflammation can occur in chest infections though there are other causes as well.
These other causes are not likely relevant in your case.
Treatment would involve : (1)reducing the coughing to prevent aggravation/worsening- a cough suppressant would help with this
OTC cough/cold meds would have a suppressant- dextromethorphan
(2)If the cough is wet, a mucolytic (helps break up the mucus) would help eg guaifenesin, mucomyst
(3)anti inflammatory pain killer such as ibuprofen, cataflam, naproxen or aspirin would help relieve the inflammation and pain
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
pleuritis/pleurisy
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
It is likely that the pain is due to pleuritic chest pain (pleurisy).
The pleura are lining on the outside of the lung.
They can sometimes become inflamed. When this occurs, it results in pain that is worse with coughing/laughing/sneezing.
This inflammation can occur in chest infections though there are other causes as well.
These other causes are not likely relevant in your case.
Treatment would involve : (1)reducing the coughing to prevent aggravation/worsening- a cough suppressant would help with this
OTC cough/cold meds would have a suppressant- dextromethorphan
(2)If the cough is wet, a mucolytic (helps break up the mucus) would help eg guaifenesin, mucomyst
(3)anti inflammatory pain killer such as ibuprofen, cataflam, naproxen or aspirin would help relieve the inflammation and pain
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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