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Suggest Treatment For Severe Cough And Fever

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Posted on Thu, 19 Jan 2017
Question: My daughter has had a phlegmy cough for 12days. She does not have a fever. She is very tired and her muscles ache. When she breathes deeply it does not hurt and she is not wheezing. The phlegm is yellow.
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Answered by Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Information

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

That your daughter does not have a fever is a good sign as pneumonia usually does involve a fever. But if the mucus she coughs up is yellow all day (not just after she gets up after resting or sleeping), and she is achy, then this could be a bacterial infection (bronchitis or "walking pneumonia").

I think it would be a good idea, if there have been no signs of improvement, for her to be seen by a doctor who can listen to her lungs, and in addition if it were me, I would get a chest X-ray to better evaluate.

I am conservative about recommending antibiotics, given increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance, but if there has been no improvement over 12 days, and if she has pneumonia, then she should have an antibiotic.

If the problem is coming from drainage from her sinuses, then treatment of that, with steroid nasal sprays, decongestants, saline washes, can help the cough.

I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information. Hope she is feeling better soon.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1991

Answered : 3134 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Severe Cough And Fever

Brief Answer: Information Detailed Answer: Hello, That your daughter does not have a fever is a good sign as pneumonia usually does involve a fever. But if the mucus she coughs up is yellow all day (not just after she gets up after resting or sleeping), and she is achy, then this could be a bacterial infection (bronchitis or "walking pneumonia"). I think it would be a good idea, if there have been no signs of improvement, for her to be seen by a doctor who can listen to her lungs, and in addition if it were me, I would get a chest X-ray to better evaluate. I am conservative about recommending antibiotics, given increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance, but if there has been no improvement over 12 days, and if she has pneumonia, then she should have an antibiotic. If the problem is coming from drainage from her sinuses, then treatment of that, with steroid nasal sprays, decongestants, saline washes, can help the cough. I hope this information helps. Please let me know if I can provide further information. Hope she is feeling better soon.