The last couple of weeks I've had problems with "gunk" building up in my head and chest while I sleep.  (It's ragweed/leaf mold season... whoo hoo).  I sleep fine, but around 5/6 in the morning the coughing starts... and it's really wreaking havoc with my voice  This week I was fortunate that my classes didn't require a lot of lecturing, but... I need my voice back ASAP!!

Any ideas what I should do?  Take extra antihistamines?  Suck on cough drops all day?  Go to the doctor??  I'm pretty sure it's allergies and not a cold because I feel fine otherwise (a bit tired, but fine).  I'm really not interested in taking antibiotics... is there something else a doctor might suggest and/or I might suggest to a doctor??

Gah!@!@  Stupid allergies.  Heather needs her voice back.

Heather

The gunk is actually a 24/7 thing... it's just that during the day I can clear it without a lot of coughing.  I totally agree that my voice will come back if I can stop the cough!  The websites I've looked at suggest not speaking (duh... I'm trying), staying hydrated, gargling with salt water, using menthol cough drops, and eating spoonfuls of honey.  My children's pediatrician has suggested that last one too... maybe I should try it (although I'm bit reluctant since honey=pollen).

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try an extra dose of antihistamines  If nothing else, I feel better having vented, LOL.

Heather

Allergies....aaaarrrgh!

I like the SinusRinse kit you can get at drugstores.  It comes with packets of unpreserved saline solution.  Just be sure to do it an hour or so before you have to be somewhere and make sure to get it all out of your nose so "nose rain" doesn't happen later!  lol.  I prefer it a couple of hours before bed.  Twice a day is most helpful.

One thing I use, and it might not be for everyone, is Neo-Synephrine nasal spray.  I only use it for 3-4 days, one spray a day, before bed.  It stops the post-nasal drainage, which is what causes my cough.  I can't take decongestants orally, but I can use that nasal spray without side effects.  If it works, the problem is probably originating in your nose.

If you're sure it's not an infection, a Flovent oral inhaler can be helpful.  It's a steroid that isn't absorbed systemically, but helps in the bronchii and lungs to reduce inflammation.

If you're sure it's pollens, there are room air cleaners with HEPA filters, and if you wash your hair at night, it'll take the day's pollens out of it.

As for honey, if it says "filtered" there shouldn't be much, if any, pollen in it.  Vicks VapoRub is an old-timey remedy I like, too.

Hope it goes away soon!