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My wife and I had that cold/flu combo. It started in my sinuses and moved to my throat.
I actually got a stomach virus that had me in the hospital for two days (dehydration and anemia). I suppose my immune system was already weakened by the upper respiratory infection. I usually don't go to the hospital for throwing up ... but I couldn't stop and after 6 hours I would have done almost anything to stop. On the plus side I got morphine and donnatal to control my nausea.
I never got the bronchitis part--maybe because I never took the cough syrup and was able to expel the mucous. I also took a lot of Mucinex. I think that cough syrup is a little over-prescribed. It's great when you need to sleep, but taking it all day is bad (my opinion, YMMV). Your body is coughing because it's trying to get mucous out (usually). If you have a dry, unproductive cough that's different.
My wife however is still coughing and fighting with bronchitis. This has been going on for a month now. We both got sick around New Year's. She is on a steroid inhaler and antibiotics.
The doctors that we see have both told us that this is a particularly nasty one. It starts in the head and sinuses, and by the third week people are either better or they have bronchitis or pneumonia.
I usually go back to work a day or two AFTER a fever stops ... or when my doctor says I can. My only concern is with infecting other people.
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