Cough/cold recovery with diabetes

Are you sure it is not an allergy? Husband has be. Hacking away went to doc finally who said chest infection took antibiotics and nada realised it was oil seed rape season took antihistamine and feels 100% better.

I've found that it depends on the virus you catch. Some I get over quickly but others leave me coughing for weeks. I usually up the vitamin C, take Echinacea tablets and hope for the best.

For bad hacking coughs due to a cold, one of best cough remedies that is also sugar free, is Pholcodeine cough linctus available from a pharmacy. Pholcodeine during the day, followed by NightNurse taken before bed, enabled me to get a good nights sleep instead of being woken up with coughing and needing to get up.

PenfoldAPD said:

I'm suffering with my first cough/cold 'thing' since diagnosis. It's taking a while to go, feels like longer than usual and I have a hacking cough that is lingering.

Do you find that generally these things take longer to get over if you have diabetes - or does it not make much difference. I had a flu jab in October (paid for it myself) so up until now been lucky all winter. This one is killing me though - especially the cough all night long think I'm going to get something to dose me up tonight.

Also frustrated I can't swim

Thanks for any input - maybe it has no relevance and I'm just being impatient!

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I haven't noticed either any increase in coough or colds, nor them taking longer to go. I think when we have something like the big D, we become more sensitised to our bodies and what's going on in them. Don't forget that part of the coughing mechanism is clearing phlegm and so on that build up, so it's as much part of the healing process as it is a symptom of the malady.

If you decide to take anything for your symptoms, like Night Nurse, or linctus, be mindful that syrups can be, erm,.... syrupy, and thus sugar laden. It would be unlikely to harm you for a day or two and may be considered a decent trade-off for some sleep. It's up to you.

Rarely get a cold but had one last Christmas, find paracetamol and plenty of fluids works as effective as anything else and not noticed that a cold take longer to recover from after developing diabetes.

@PenfoldAPD, go to your Dr's if your cough is lingering on as they may be able to prescribe something stronger to get rid of it.

Just had a cold that my hubby brought home to start with grrr and it does take me ages now to get rid of a cold where as before having diabetes it didn't....

I am the opposite , I use to really suffer with colds before diagnosis, but rarely have them now and they seem a lot milder, I put this down to prob having diabetes for a few years before diagnosis and now my bloods are better controlled my immune system works better....

I am a bit ocd with hygiene since getting more health problems. I also have sinus issues so I have to be careful. But in answer to your question, yes I do get problems with flus/colds lingering and turning into bacterial infections. I can't clear mucous from my throat very well anymore so I use a neti-pot, steroid spray, and decongestant spray when needed. The neti-pot is the best though as really helps dry the nose up and stop the congestion and aids with getting rid of any cough. But I do use cough decongestant also as needed.

I have a cough I am told it is due to the blood pressure tablet I am taking I have also been told not to take decongestants because I am a diabetic.

kentish maid said:

I have a cough I am told it is due to the blood pressure tablet

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There are some reports that bp meds can lead to side-effects such as a cough, one of which is Ramipril but I've not experienced this.

i dont know where you are, but in the middle of the UK in the last 2 plus months, there has been so much of this cough/lung infection etc that it is difficult to meet someone who has not had it, and been quite ill, for ages - i also heard that its been mentioned in the doc's magazines. My GP told me 2 weeks ago, when i said mine had lasted many weeks, that 6-8 weeks is about what it is taking for people to recover from the cough. But i would check yours out - yours may have progressed to an infection - mine did, and 40% more insulin use than usual, very unusual for me to have insulin so high. This raft of late in the year "winter" diseases was discussed on the bbc radio near the end of March, with a virologist, it may still be on the internet. Not sure where i read or heard that there have been more than 30% more intensive care admissions this year, in comparison with other years, due to these type of diseases, mostly not in the usual groups affected. Hope you are recovered soon.

Since having the cold it has left me with a tickly cough....if I eat anything I cough worst in the morning after being asleep and was thinking if does nto go I shall have to see the Doctor...makes you feel tired also but got to keep going