Cough after bronchitis is common and normal. Recovery of the pulmonary mucosa cannot happen overnight. The stronger the immune system, the faster the recovery. It is important that the effects of bronchitis (coughing fits) do not become permanent. Recovery will be faster thanks to both drug treatment and traditional medicine.
Signs of residual cough
Doctors reassure patients that there is nothing to worry about in residual cough after illness. But this does not mean that it can be completely ignored. Coughing indicates a possible complication. How long can a cough last and when should I be examined by a doctor? The disease itself can last from a week to three. Seek medical attention if:
- Coughing attacks increase without coughing.
- Other symptoms appear.
If the question suddenly arises - is the situation of delaying symptoms longer than the term serious, then the answer is yes. Most likely, there were other disorders in the body with whichfight should be started urgently.
Why doesn't coughing stop after bronchitis?
Residual cough is a consequence of the weakening of the immune system and the body as a whole. It will take a long time to completely remove the infection from the body.
First, the vulnerability of bronchial receptors is greatly increased, and coughing is a reaction to cold air, dusty rooms or smoke. Secondly, the body tries to get rid of the waste products of the bacteria that caused the disease on its own. In addition, the airways are undergoing a process of recovery from the effects of the disease.
If the intensity of coughing does not change, and attacks are accompanied by an increase in body temperature, then these are alarming symptoms indicating the need for additional examination. Diseases can cause complications:
- whooping cough;
- pneumonia;
- chronic form of tuberculosis.
Until a person's immune system is unable to fight the infection, doctors must prescribe medication. As soon as the aggravation passes, the drugs are canceled so that the body itself can resist the inflammation. That is why there is such a thing as residual cough.
What makes it clear that these residual symptoms have decreased?
The crisis is over when:
- Temperature returns to normal, does not rise for several days.
- No temperature chills, wheezing.
- Cough getting weakerattacks are observed much less often and their strength does not increase.
On what can the full recovery of organs depend?
Some factors influence the healing process:
- Age. Cough after bronchitis in a child will pass much later than in an adult.
- Dependence on environmental influences.
- Indicators of immunity.
- Correct treatment.
- Forms of the disease. If bronchitis is chronic, then the cough will not go away completely, but will remain in a weaker form until the next exacerbation. The chronic form is typical for smokers, as the lungs are already heavily affected by nicotine and are subjected to a large load.
Medication treatment
Cough after bronchitis remains in both adults and children. For a speedy recovery, the mucus remaining in the lungs should be removed. The functions of the bronchi can fully recover on their own in 1-3 weeks, but provided there is no infection. The question arises: "How to cure a cough after bronchitis completely?". Answer: mucolytic agents containing carbocysteine. For the treatment of bronchitis in both adults and children, drugs are used:
- "Bromhexine hydrochloride". It has an expectorant effect, the drug is rapidly processed by the gastrointestinal tract and distributed in the tissues. "Bromhexine" (tablets) adults and children need to take 8 mg 4 times a day. The medicine can be diluted in water and used inquality of inhalation. The medicine should not be taken during pregnancy.
- "Fluifort" - thanks to the drug reduces viscosity, coughing is facilitated. Adults are prescribed 750 mg 3 times a day, children (depending on age) from 50 to 250 mg 3 times a day.
- "Muk altin" - instructions for the use of tablets by adults are very simple. These are round gray tablets with a dividing strip in the center. They have expectorant action. It is important not only to know what dosage is required for adults and children, but also that the drug is prescribed only to alleviate the symptoms of the disease and as an addition to the main treatment. The instructions for use by adults of Muk altin tablets indicate that they need to take 2 tablets 4 times a day. Children from 12 years old - 1 tablet 3 times a day. During pregnancy, the drug is allowed only in the third trimester.
Contraindications for drugs containing carbocysteine:
- Poor component portability.
- Ulcer.
- Kidney pathology.
- Pregnancy and lactation.
- Not suitable for children under 12 years of age.
If the cough remains dry, then you should add drugs that help thin the sputum. It could be:
- "Sinecode".
- "Gerbion".
- "Stoptussin".
Complete treatment requires the mandatory use of antibiotics. But you should consult a doctor and go through a completesurvey. The doctor will select the right medicine and its dosage. If it is not possible to undergo a complete diagnosis, then broad-spectrum antibiotics are suitable. It is not worth self-medicating and personally prescribing drugs for yourself, there is a high risk of getting a "bonus" in the form of chronic bronchitis. In addition to medicines, you can also apply folk secrets for the treatment of diseases.
How did our grandmothers treat their cough?
The remedy that our grandmothers constantly used is warm milk with honey and butter. It is necessary to give a drink at night to soften the cough and relieve irritation from the mucous membrane. But this method is only suitable for those who do not have lactose intolerance or allergies to honey.
You can use the following recipe: 10 pieces of dried figs are poured with 1 glass of water and put on a small fire. After half an hour of boiling, add 1 cup of sugar and water. When the sugar is completely dissolved, pour in the juice of half a lemon and add 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger. It is necessary to take the remedy at the onset of coughing attacks, 90-100 ml, no more than 3 times a day.
Residual cough after bronchitis will well remove juice from sweet radish and carrots, to which 1 tbsp is added. l. honey. The drink should be insisted until the honey is completely dissolved. Drink the medicine should be 1 tbsp. l. every hour.
Pregnancy and residual cough
What to do for those women who are not lucky enough to get sick while in position? How can they cure residual cough after bronchitis? They should complygreater accuracy in taking medications, since half of the funds are strictly forbidden to them. A prolonged cough leads to negative consequences, up to a miscarriage.
Grandma's treatments are absolutely indispensable for pregnant women. But in any case, you should first consult with your doctor.
- Mix part of honey, part of crushed apple and 2 parts of ground or grated onion to a mushy state. Eat 1 tbsp 6 times a day. l. medicines.
- Helps well with residual cough inhalation with infusion of St. John's wort and chamomile or the old and favorite way - "breathe over potatoes".
Breathing exercises
This kind of exercise is very helpful for coughing. Thanks to them, ventilation of the lungs improves, inflammation is removed and the amount of mucus in the airways is significantly reduced. It is very important to do this gymnastics on a regular basis, otherwise it will not be of any use.
Exercise on the floor
- When slowly inhaling through the nose, the toes begin to stretch upward, when exhaling, they stretch forward.
- Hands are placed on the belt. Next, alternately bend the legs at the knees. Flexion - inhale, extension - exhale.
- Exercise "kitty" on the contrary. In the prone position, bend your arms at an angle of 90 degrees and push off the floor with the back of your head and elbows, bending your chest - inhale, return to the starting position - exhale.
- Place straight arms behind the head and pull - inhale, return back - exhale.
Standing exercises
- With a swing, the arms rise - inhale,the body is lowered with an inclination forward - exhale.
- Take a deep breath and hold your breath for up to 10 seconds.
- Take 5-7 short breaths, then also 5-7 exhalations.
Chest massage
Chest massage can be a good remedy in the fight against residual cough. Thanks to massage movements, the passage of mucus through the respiratory tract is facilitated, immunity is strengthened and the restoration of damaged tissues is accelerated. Movements should start from above and slowly move towards the lower back, without affecting the spine and kidneys.
Massage movements can be alternated. Stroking, tapping will do, and it will not be superfluous to slightly pinch the skin, increasing blood flow. Before starting the massage, the patient is advised to drink milk with honey or tea, this helps to thin the sputum.
Inhalations
A good treatment for bronchitis in adults is inhalation. If earlier compressor inhalers could only be found in hospitals or sanatoriums, today they are available in almost every pharmacy.
The principle of their work is to turn the drug into tiny particles, which facilitates the penetration of the drug directly into the inflamed lungs, without burdening the body with the processing of the drug itself.
The most effective way to treat bronchitis is to use a nebulizer. In the nebulizer, you can use pharmacy drugs ready for use as inhalations or do alkaline inhalations using"Borjomi" or "Narzan", having previously released the gas. Do not use oily products or non-carbonated water, tap water, this will inevitably cause burns to the mucous membrane.
In the treatment of bronchitis, both drug treatment and folk remedies should be combined, and inhalations should not be neglected.
