Bronchitis

[gisele]

Last year, same time I was sick in bed on children's day, and again I have been sick for the last week. I was sick for almost 2 months last year.

So, I went to the doctor Tuesday, again, I have bronchitis. He says it's allergic bronchitis and thinks it's because of the change of season.

I am so happy the rainy season is pretty much over but I really hope I won't be sick long this time. My colleagues at work even remember how sick I was last year. "Are you sick again?"

Anybody else in the same boat?

I wonder if there's anything I can do to prevent this from happening next year.

Vitamine C didn't help.

[Polly]

I must say that I get far more flu like illnesses here than I ever got at home.

I have decided that the bugs here are different to those that I have developed immunity to and at some time I will have more immunity to those also.

[sbk]

I get hayfever at home but not here. However, I do get terrible sinus headaches at certain times of the year, which I am sure, are allergies to some plant. I have to say that the symptoms have lessened over the years as my body becomes more used to the allergens.

[Totster]

Gisele.. i don't think you are alone...

Up here in the village, in december a lot of people get the sniffles and coughs... it's definately a change of season thing

Whether you can do anything to prevent it.. i don't think so.. but anything is worth a try

totster

[Boo]

I normally suffer with chest infections every winter or when the weather is very wet (weak lungs from childhood meningitis & I used to be a smoker) this year I had the flu jab & a course of preventitive antibiotics from my GP & it has stopped any sniffles or throat problems. My GP is very big on preventitive medicine as apposed to waiting till I am ill & for me at least, it works

[Kiwi/Thai]

If you want avoid such things or get rid of them faster boil in water a good amount of sliced limes or lemons with a heap of garlic and ginger, add honey to taste and viola. It might be a bit of a passion killer but who cares when you feel like crap.

[girlx]

i get a bad head cold with fever that turns into hacking bronchitis and sometimes a painful sinus infection just about every time i travel from one place to another in thailand. it's a horrible sickness and it lasts for weeks. i have it now and so far 3 days of antibiotics is doing nothing. nasty thing! i never got sick at home.

[kat]

I guess the saying "misery loves company" is at least partially true, because I am so relieved it's not just me. I was starting to think something was seriously wrong with my health.

It seems like I am sick every couple of months out here. It switches back and forth between the same things: bad cold which turns into a very dry throat, with horrible, violent, coughing fits that make me nearly wretch, to frequent stomach problems that included a parasite bug about 6 weeks ago. Horrid I almost never feel 100% healthy anymore.

[gisele]

I guess the saying "misery loves company" is at least partially true, because I am so relieved it's not just me. I was starting to think something was seriously wrong with my health.

It seems like I am sick every couple of months out here. It switches back and forth between the same things: bad cold which turns into a very dry throat, with horrible, violent, coughing fits that make me nearly wretch, to frequent stomach problems that included a parasite bug about 6 weeks ago. Horrid I almost never feel 100% healthy anymore.

that's exactly what I get, it's terrible, my husband doesn't know what to do to help, I don't know what to do since cough sirops don't help, drinking water/juice just helps a little. Little yellow pills, little white pills, more little white pills.

Now, I'm almost better, I still have to blow my nose, and I especially have problems in air-conditionned rooms. I don't want to be too optimistic yet since last year, every time I thought I was getting better, I would soon get a relapse.

[girlx]

hey gisele, what is the treatment for allergic bronchitis? i am beginning to think that's maybe what i have since my antibiotics aren't doing squat.

[gisele]

hey gisele, what is the treatment for allergic bronchitis? i am beginning to think that's maybe what i have since my antibiotics aren't doing squat.

I don't know for sure what to do, I am just muddling along.

Last year, I didn't go to the hospital to get proprely checked as I thought if I was back in Canada I would just take some over the counter stuff however now,I go to the hospital not just the corner clinics. So this time, I went after 5 days of being ssickly. He gave me some pills (muchotic?? and something else) also some vitamine C. No anti-biotic, they didn't work last year.

And of course, drink plenty of liquids, rest and rest.

I hope you feel better!

[nephron]

hey gisele, what is the treatment for allergic bronchitis? i am beginning to think that's maybe what i have since my antibiotics aren't doing squat.

Do you mean mucous production and narrowed airways associated with breathing in allergens?

If so, probably one or more of antihistamines, inhaled corticosteroids, mucolytics (break down the mucous), expectorants (help you cough the mucous up), and "reliever" asthma inhalers when required.

Edited January 24, 2006 by nephron

[girlx]

thanks- just have a lot of crap in my lungs that i can't get out no matter how hard i cough (ow my head). will try expectorants etc. again though they didn't work before the antibiotics.

[CM-Joe]

One of the best products to prevent to get a bronchities is PROPOLIS. I use this since two years and never had anymore problems. Before I always got a bronchities when I went to the tropics. Get a PROPOLIS spray and use it when ever you feel a strange feeling in your throat.

PROPOLIS is a natural product made by the bees. You can get it in Europe and many parts of the world at the drugstores. Here in Thailand it is not very populare. I only now one place in Chiang Mai, where you can buy it. There they charge about 1200 Bath, about 5 times more than in Europe and 10 times more than in Brezil... But it is worth the money, because it really helps you and also improve your immune system without harming your body. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propolis

Regards Joe

[seonai]

I know this topic was from a while ago but I just wanted to say that I get the same as most of you have mentioned during this season. The slightest wind or temperature change brings on furious post nasal dripping and I spend the rest of the next hour trying to cough the crap back out! When it's not dripping down the back of the throat it's blocked sinuses and awful pain! Same as you GX - antibiotics didn't help and the Doc just keeps wanting to give me more. My only relief is pseudoephedrine HCI - present in Tiffy actuall or available minus the para in the chemist. It stops the dripping. I try to only take one 60mg tab a day as it can cause side effects if you take a lot apparently. Really depressing though isn't it?

[gisele]

This year, I was sick only a few weeks.

I guess whatever pills I was given worked, or maybe it wasn't as bad as last year's bout.

either way, I was lucky this time, knock on wood

Edited February 18, 2006 by gisele

[frond]

I've had a cough and chest congestion for the last two weeks, with a bout of food poisoning thrown in! I get sick every 2 months from bad food--it's never Thai food, always Western (this time, Israeli).

[gisele]

I've had a cough and chest congestion for the last two weeks, with a bout of food poisoning thrown in! I get sick every 2 months from bad food--it's never Thai food, always Western (this time, Israeli).

On holiday in Bangkok a few years ago, I went to a restaurant I always loved, one of the most romantic restaurants I know. I went back to my hotel room, I was staying at the Indra Regent hotel,

planning on a good night's sleep for an excursion to Ayuthaya. Well, I woke in the middle of the night with the worst case of food poisonning I could possibly imagine. I assumed that after a bit of rest I would get better but it just went on and on, I missed the excursion. I got worst and worst.

I called the hotel's doctor but I couldn't manage to get the door so the manager was called in to open the door, was then taken by ambulance to the hospital.

I thought I was going to die . After 3 days in the hospital I was discharged.

The good thing was that , well of course I didn't die , but I was impressed by the care at the hospital and now feel confident with the care available here.

I had food poisonning twice in Bangkok, both times after meals in fancy restaurants. I have never had food poisonning here at the local places or in Samui. (knock on wood)

[lopburi3]

The wife has the same problems (bronchitis) every year at this time. She can not take any opium based medications so for cough uses Romilar (dextromethorphan hydrobromide 15mg) three times a day and for antihistamine Lorita (loratadine 10mg) twice a day. Doctors give many others in addition but these two seem to be the key for her.

[seonai]

Hi Lopburi, don't want to scare you but I did a search on Romilar and this was the kind of thing that came up:

"If you get nothing else out of this FAQ, let it be this: Remember that DXM is a powerful psychedelic which can be used safely, but must be used with care and respect for your own body and mind. DXM is not a safe drug, and it has not been well studied at recreational levels; whenever you use it you are taking a risk, possibly a big one. Please read and follow these basic guidelines..."

Seems that it can effect the brain !!!

[lopburi3]

It is probably the most, non narcotic, used cough suppressant in the world. We are not talking recreational drug use here; but limited prescribed use. It is a very safe drug when taken in the dosage used for cough control.

Over the counter names in the USA are:

Benylin® Adult Formula Cough Suppressant

Benylin® Pediatric Cough Suppressant

Delsym®

Hold® DM

Pertussin® DM Extra Strength

Robitussin® CoughGels®

Robitussin® Honey Cough Suppressant

Robitussin® Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant

Robitussin® Pediatric Cough Suppressant

Simply Cough®

Sucrets® 8 Hour Cough Suppressant

Triaminic® Cough Softchews®

Vicks® 44 Cough Relief

[seonai]

Thanks Lopburi3, I am looking for a solution myself. So now will try out some of those.

Cheers, Seonai

[Pattayatony]

And I thought I was the only one suffering with Bronchitis. I had it 4 times in the last 12 months. Last time I became very concerned and decided to have a complete blood check, but nothing wrong. I blame it on Air Con. For the people that are having trouble with coughing this was given to me by an old lady in the Hill tribe in the north of the Philippines. Make a pot of Green tea and put some cut up ginger in it, that usually stops my cough and the best part is it dosnt have any harmfull drugs in it. Hope you all get better. Cheers Tony

[Master Chief]

Hi Gisele

I have also been sick in what they called allergic Bronchitis, I'm 41 years now and was healthy as stud could ever be, but here I go move to Thailand and start to be sick with Bronchitis, allergis and all other sorts of crap diagnoses.

For X-mas last year I stayed at hospital for two days for heavy breathing problems and they called it allergic Bronchitis. Made a power check up later for this and test came out negative, no allergis. I started to think about what could cause problems like this and must revert to the way people live here, look around in your environment and you can find traces of what could cause these reactions. In our home countries we know that animal droppings, fungis and molds in our houses causes health problems, but here nobody reacts for this. All houses here have water leaks from domestic water systems or rain. Water sips trough roofs, walls and floors. All kinds of lizards, mices, snakes and rats are running around in our Thai houses and leaving droppings witch gets moistered and later turns into dust. Fungis and black toxic mold leaving colored marks in ceiling and walls. As the dust gets in the air, we breath it in. A little bit of polluted air can cause severe health problems. We live quite protected at our home countries from these kind of infestments, but here they attack us at full scale and this causes us to fall. I have tried several times to get the local health authorities to look into these problems, but they disregard this. Now until I can find a home that is free of these infestments I'm cleaning my house with disinfectants and locate all droppings with a vacuum cleaner with a built in hepa filter, trap all rodents and chase away all the lizards. I have repaired the roof and repainted the exterior walls with moist protective paint. But this is what we normally do in our home countries so why do we accept different here? Future will show if I get sick again. Keep it tidy and safe around yours,

[gisele]

Hi Gisele

I have also been sick in what they called allergic Bronchitis, I'm 41 years now and was healthy as stud could ever be, but here I go move to Thailand and start to be sick with Bronchitis, allergis and all other sorts of crap diagnoses.

For X-mas last year I stayed at hospital for two days for heavy breathing problems and they called it allergic Bronchitis. Made a power check up later for this and test came out negative, no allergis. I started to think about what could cause problems like this and must revert to the way people live here, look around in your environment and you can find traces of what could cause these reactions. In our home countries we know that animal droppings, fungis and molds in our houses causes health problems, but here nobody reacts for this. All houses here have water leaks from domestic water systems or rain. Water sips trough roofs, walls and floors. All kinds of lizards, mices, snakes and rats are running around in our Thai houses and leaving droppings witch gets moistered and later turns into dust. Fungis and black toxic mold leaving colored marks in ceiling and walls. As the dust gets in the air, we breath it in. A little bit of polluted air can cause severe health problems. We live quite protected at our home countries from these kind of infestments, but here they attack us at full scale and this causes us to fall. I have tried several times to get the local health authorities to look into these problems, but they disregard this. Now until I can find a home that is free of these infestments I'm cleaning my house with disinfectants and locate all droppings with a vacuum cleaner with a built in hepa filter, trap all rodents and chase away all the lizards. I have repaired the roof and repainted the exterior walls with moist protective paint. But this is what we normally do in our home countries so why do we accept different here? Future will show if I get sick again. Keep it tidy and safe around yours,

I wonder about all off this too, especially about the mold, hopefully I can build up some immunity to it. I wasn't as sick as I was last year, and God knows mold was everywhere this rainy season so maybe there's hope.

[seonai]

I seem to have it worse in these months after new year. True about the house, old wooden house, dusty and all sorts of insects etc. now my "sickness" is in a pattern - as soon as I sit up in the morning I start to cough all the crap up that must have been dripping down all night. towards late afternoon getting less. By evening almost no cough. I don't understand it !!!!!!!! I have a lot of post nasal dripping which is hel_l. Tiffy helps but makes me feel quite weird!!!!!!

[gisele]

Well, here I am sick again, going on my 4th week now,

more in the sinus this time,

looking at the x-rays, my sinuses are all swollen especially on the right side and I can't breathe, my ears have been congested for 3 weeks now.

I am on my 3rd series of pills,

(God the doctors love to give loads of pills)

pills for after eating, before eating, twice a day, three times a day, pastille dilluted in water, nasal spray twice a day.

Anybody else going through this?

(misery loves company)

[Sheryl]

Well, here I am sick again, going on my 4th week now,

more in the sinus this time,

looking at the x-rays, my sinuses are all swollen especially on the right side and I can't breathe, my ears have been congested for 3 weeks now.

I am on my 3rd series of pills,

(God the doctors love to give loads of pills)

pills for after eating, before eating, twice a day, three times a day, pastille dilluted in water, nasal spray twice a day.

Anybody else going through this?

(misery loves company)

Well you can count me in although mine is more of a flu which seems to be sweeping thru Phnom Penh right now (where I currently am). Feel AWFUL and of course, this had to strike when i was working flat out on 2 concurrent consultant assignments, 12 hrs a day, 6 days a week and a tight deadline...

Fver, aches and pains everywhere, cough, stuffed up nose, sore throat, can't sleep, etc etc

1 week to date

[penzman]

Mold was my first thought.

[gisele]

Mold was my first thought.

Might be mold, I don't know, for me it seems to be worse when I am at the university, I don't know why, maybe there's more mold I know there are termites infestations all over the campus. I wonder if that could be it.

and today I got a massage at home and the masseuse told me that the dust from the road is probably exasperating my sinusitis,

the dust is just getting worse all the time because they are building new houses all the time in our gated community so more and more trucks every week.

But overall I have been so much more susceptible to colds or maybe it's the flu in the 2 years I have living in Thailand, then again could be allergies. It seems like I am sick for amonth every 3 months or so,

that can't be normal

right???