Treatment For Cough, Joint Pain, Cold And Ringing Ears?

Posted on Wed, 20 Mar 2013

Question: Hi, my son who is in Afghanistan is quite sick with a bad cough which causes him lots of pain especially in his lower back, strange sensations (pain below his front bottom teeth & his hands feel that everything he touches is too thick and hard), very bad back, joint and flank pain, has been delirious, feeling very hot and cold, ringing in ears, too sick to go to the mess to eat. The medics have said he doesn't seem to have an infection but I'm worried about him as he is very tough but is admitting to feeling very bad and the odd sensations are a concern to me. Thanks for your help.

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (20 minutes later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic,

Because of severe exertion of skeletal muscles due to bad cough, there may be pain in flank and back.

The pain in back, joint pains, teeth may be explained by a viral illness.

If the cough is dry and excessive, it should be decreased with cough suppressant drugs to get relief from muscle exertion after ruling out any wheezing in lungs.

Advise him to take rest, to avoid exposure to dust, and to take plenty of oral fluids.

For pains, paracetamol can be taken in prescribed dosage.

But the delirious state, inability to eat, and his general condition are concerning symptoms and he should go for immediate medical attention.

So I advise him to consult again the Physician for the assessment of his general condition and for appropriate medication.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj