Rib problem

[ColinJ]

No, I meant the chest x-ray would rule out the different problem my friend had that could be causing the nagging cough not yours. My friend had a benign tumour growing inside his chest cavity.

I got you - I just wanted to point out that an all-clear from an x-ray is NOT a complete all-clear. It is only an all-clear for things that an x-ray can detect!

 

[Broughtonblue]

Hopefully that stays your biggest worry. I too have a diffferent horror story about a nagging cough (not mine), but I won't share it now.

The chest x-ray should rule that out (or not )

Do you have travel insurance? If you can't fly, you should be able to get all the fares and accommodation back.

Good luck.

The x ray is obviously to look at the bone structure and yet the doc did tell me they would look for "other things" with the C word mentioned

 

[ColinJ]

The x ray is obviously to look at the boer structure and yet the doc did tell me they would look for "other things" with the C word mentioned

Do you have a lot of South Africans working at your local hospital?

 

[Broughtonblue]

Hopefully that stays your biggest worry. I too have a diffferent horror story about a nagging cough (not mine), but I won't share it now.

The chest x-ray should rule that out (or not )

Do you have travel insurance? If you can't fly, you should be able to get all the fares and accommodation back.

Good luck.

My partner booked in, and at the time of booking had travel insurance through her bank account but has since changed accounts not sure if she will be covered as not with that policy now but was at the time of booking!
First holiday she's not paid on a credit card as the extra 2% added a few hundred to it

 

[Broughtonblue]

Do you have a lot of South Africans working at your local hospital?

No idea what you mean!!!
(Swiftly edited!)

 

[ColinJ]

The x ray is obviously to look at the bone structure and yet the doc did tell me they would look for "other things" with the C word mentioned

It seems that they are really struggling to work out what the problem is!

If the x-ray doesn't help then please at least discuss with your doctor the possibility of clots. There is a simple blood test called a 'd-dimer' which has about a 19/20 success rate at detecting clotting problems. If nothing else is found, it would be worth requesting one of those. If you had the test and the results came back negative then at least you could be pretty sure that clots are not to blame. If the test came back positive then they would do a CT scan to confirm the presence of clots.

 

[jefmcg]

Oh, I forgot to say - I also have other friends' anecdotes that it say it may be nothing.

There is one hell of a cold going around this year, it was in Australia last August/September and it caught up with me in London in December. Two close Australian friends got it badly enough that they both ended up with chest xrays and finally being diagnosed with asthma for the first time in their lives, both over 50. They both recovered, so the diagnosis was sound. A mother of a friend of mine in the UK has had a similar experience - chest x-ray and asthma diagnosis, though she is not doing as well, but she's a lung cancer survivor, so it's more complicated. I got it my self a few weeks ago, and the nagging cough stuck around for weeks (no where near as bad as the OP, but coughing to the edge of vomiting, so not great) and was relieved with Ventolin.

So it's probably just a nasty chest infection, but follow it up to be sure - which you are doing.

And when you get to Vegas, hire a convertible Mustang and drive to Death Valley

 

[2Loose]

Please let us know, as although this could be almost any chest infection, it reminds me of a condition I developed a year and a half ago. It started with a cold and sore cough that refused to get better, then a chest x-ray showed some scar tissue highlighting some bullae (unusually large bubbles) in my right lung that are often a precursor to a collapse - so x-rays can be useful for other things apart from bones. Lung bullae and flying can be a bad combination apparently adn I had to get my holiday flight signed off by a specialist a month later. Surgery followed last January.

Also, codeine can prevent a painful cough and made the flights much more bearable...but has other side effects after prolonged usage.

 

[Broughtonblue]

Please let us know, as although this could be almost any chest infection, it reminds me of a condition I developed a year and a half ago. It started with a cold and sore cough that refused to get better, then a chest x-ray showed some scar tissue highlighting some bullae (unusually large bubbles) in my right lung that are often a precursor to a collapse - so x-rays can be useful for other things apart from bones. Lung bullae and flying can be a bad combination apparently adn I had to get my holiday flight signed off by a specialist a month later. Surgery followed last January.

Also, codeine can prevent a painful cough and made the flights much more bearable...but has other side effects after prolonged usage.

Had x rays today and seeing doc Thursday for results. Had a 'relapse' on Saturday after just one cough, instant agonising pain again.
Hopefully allowed to delay the holiday till later on production of a doctors letter which I also hope to get Thursday.

 

[ColinJ]

Had x rays today and seeing doc Thursday for results. Had a 'relapse' on Saturday after just one cough, instant agonising pain again.
Hopefully allowed to delay the holiday till later on production of a doctors letter which I also hope to get Thursday.

Good luck. I hope that they have found out what it is, that it is not anything serious, and that they can sort it out!

 

[Grant Fondo]

Had x rays today and seeing doc Thursday for results. Had a 'relapse' on Saturday after just one cough, instant agonising pain again.
Hopefully allowed to delay the holiday till later on production of a doctors letter which I also hope to get Thursday.

Hope you are tickety boo soon

 

[ChrisV]

Read thread and need to know what happened! Fingers crossed.

Also amazing to see how far you've come since the d word thread!

 

[jefmcg]

Had x rays today and seeing doc Thursday for results.

I want to ask how this went, but I see @Broughtonblue hasn't been back here since the day after he posted this.



Hope everything is going fine.

 

[Broughtonblue]

Update. X rays came back showing no damage to lungs and no tumours. They did however show possible fractures to two ribs. Still off work although the pain has subsidised and is now more of a bad ache. Still on painkillers but am reducing from 8 to 6 this week to see if I need them.

On a tangent.......
It's my 50th tomorrow

 

[fossyant]

Only two ribs... lightweight