Q. I have been in quarantine for nearly 12 days for COVID-19. Why is my recovery very slow?
Hi doctor,
I have mild asthma with a cough for two weeks. I am a COVID-19 patient. Currently, I am taking Benzo 200 mg, Famotidine 20 mg, and Albuterol as needed.
Hi,
Welcome to icliniq.com. I understand your concern. According to your statement, you are suffering from a cough that is dry in nature and you are a COVID-19 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) patient. You have a past history of mild asthma and anxiety. Your treatment depends on severity. If Albuterol does not help you, you can take a Corticosteroid inhaler for cough. You should monitor your oxygen saturation rate by pulse oximetry. It will help to determine whether you need oxygen support or not. As you are a COVID-19 patient, be isolated from your family and friend for atleast 14 days. Gargle your mouth with salt mixed with lukewarm water three to four times a day. Maintain a temperature chart strictly. Please provide a detailed history regarding your current symptoms and so I can help you better.
Thank you doctor,
I was in quarantine for 12 days. My COVID-19 recovery process was very slow. My fever went away after three weeks. But I had nagging congestion for five weeks. Finally, it got better. I started to have a dry cough before two weeks and it is not going. So my doctor prescribed Benzo 200 mg three times a day along with Allegra for allergies and Pepcid 20 mg at night. I started taking this medication yesterday. For coughing, I started using Nyquil cough, and Robitussin. But both of them did not help me. Now I am taking Albuterol every four hours for coughing. Do I need to use Albuterol even without having a cough? I was diagnosed with mild asthma before five years. Most of the time, I did not require inhalers. But after getting a COVID-19 infection, it is getting worse. What can I do for my dry cough? I have a cough in the morning and evening. But I do not have a cough while sleeping. I checked my oxygen saturation every four hours and I had a value of 98 percent.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. As you suffer from cough in the morning and evening, you can take an inhaler every six hours or eight hours twice daily. You can use Albuterol based on the severity. You are a patient with mild asthma. But medication is not required for controlling asthma status in your life except for COVID-19 positive patients. Dry cough is the primary symptom of COVID-19. Then it becomes intractable causing breathlessness in patients. Finally, the patient develops life-threatening atypical pneumonia. COVID-19 usually attacks the respiratory system first and then other systems. You need to take Albuterol for preventing the development of respiratory distress. As your oxygen saturation is 98 percent, this is a piece of good news for your recovery from COVID-19. For cough and nasal congestion, you can take Montelukast with or without a Corticosteroid inhaler.
Thank you doctor,
I called an ambulance to my residence when I was having shortness of breath. When the ambulance came, they checked my oxygen level and it was 100 percent. The rest of my vitals was normal. I do not have a fever but I had a dry cough and nasal congestion. I do not know whether it was due to anxiety as I was unable to breathe through my nose for 25 minutes. I used Albuterol before going to the ambulance and it did not help me. I decided to stay at home as I was afraid to go to the hospital. Still, I have nasal congestion and a mild dry cough. Albuterol worked for me in a short term. What to do to improve my health? It has been 13 days now after having a positive result for COVID-19 and I have not noticed any major improvement in me. I do not know what to do. I have nasal congestion for five weeks and coughing for two weeks. What can I do?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. You can use Flonaspray twice daily for having immediate relief from nasal congestion and you can take Montelukast with Allegra. You seem to have post-viral asthenia. Fatigue or post-viral asthenia is very common when a person is infected with a major viral infection like COVID-19. It may last for few weeks to few months. So you always have weakness and fatigue in the body and it subsides with the passage of time. Albuterol is a short-acting bronchodilator and it lasts for four hours. You can use a Seretide inhaler twice daily. It is a combination of long-acting bronchodilator Salmeterol and Fluticasone. It will give you a long time of relief.
Thank you doctor,
I am going to see my doctor to extend my quarantine. How long will it take for me to have a full recovery? Do I need to take a chest X-ray for my dry cough? The technician in the ambulance heard a clear sound in my lungs and they told me that I do not require hospitalization.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. Continue taking medications along with your current medications. You need to do a chest X-ray to detect the respiratory abnormalities. I think that you will be recovered fully within 15 to 30 days.
Thank you doctor,
Thank you for helping me.
Hi,
Welcome back to iclniq.com. You do not need to admit yourself to the hospital as you do not have a fever and importantly, your oxygen saturation is 98 percent. Your weakness and cough will get subside soon.
Thank you doctor,
I was prescribed Symbicort 160/45. It should be used in the morning with one puff. I decided to use it today. I used it without priming. Can I have any negative impact on my body for using it without priming?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. Symbicort 160/4.5 (Budesonide and Formoterol dihydrate) is a combination of steroid and long-acting bronchodilator. It is used to prevent bronchospasm in asthma patients. But you need to gargle after using it as it can cause oral thrush later on.
.
Thank you doctor,
I used it without priming it. Will it make any negative impact on my lungs?
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. Priming means first time. Using a new inhaler will help you from bronchospasm and controls your cough within a short time.
Thank you doctor,
For using it for the first time, it is necessary to shake it and spray it (priming). I did not do it. I used it without priming it. I used it as soon as I opened it.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. You should shake the canister for mixing the solutions well and so you get a proper dosage of solutions. As you have not shaken it for the first time, it is fine. For the next time, you should shake well before using and gargle after using it for preventing the development of oral thrush.
Thank you doctor,
Thank you for helping me a lot.
Hi,
Welcome back to icliniq.com. You are always welcome. Have a follow-up at any time.
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