chest congestion due to colds - recurring problem?



G

Gene

Guest
Hi group.

I've been searching the web for information on chest congestion, but I couldn't find anything about
my concern.

I don't get a lot of colds, but occasionally I'll get a real doozy. What will happen is that I get a
cold with a runny nose and coughing, but after a week it will migrate to my chest.

This happened about two years ago, and I had a hard cough for about a month. While I was sick then,
I found a tip on the internet that said if a cold is above the neck, feel free to exercise. If below
the neck, take several days free from exercising.

I thought that was why I was so sick two years ago; I had attempted to soldier through it by walking
in cold conditions daily.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got another cold/flu from my wife. I was careful this time to relax
and refrain from going out in the cold. I had a sore throat and insatiable thirst followed by a dry
cough and nasal congestion. I thought I was pretty much over it after a few days, so I went for a
short cold weather walk. This was probably seven days after the onset of the sickness.

The cold air irritated my throat and exacerbated my cough, so I again stayed inside and refrained
from exercise. Here it is, almost 3 weeks after getting sick and I feel worse again. I thought I was
pretty much recovered, but now I feel it in my chest and I've got a fever.

I have chest congestion and a hard low-production cough.

I guess I'm wondering is this going to be a regular thing with me when I get a cold... slow recovery
and brutal chest congestion after the fact? Also, how can I avoid having the congestion move from my
head to my chest? When do I decide to go see a doctor? What do you suppose I had two years ago...
hard low-production cough that didn't respond to cough medicine, kept me from sleeping, lasted a
month? Is there a chance that this is rucurring right now?

BTW, as I mentioned, my wife had this illness, and recovered much quicker. She had little chest
congestion even though she was busier and more active than me.

Thanks for any responses. Please respond to group; email address is just for spam. Thanks!