[Anonymous]

For the last few days I've had a really irritated airway and keep coughing. It's worse when I'm outside or somewhere I would perceive as being polluted. I don't have coughing fits, just one or two really long, dry coughs like I'm trying to force something up... I can feel when I'm going to cough as I get a tickle beforehand. It's been hard enough to give me a persistent headache and sometimes earache as well.

I know everyone is going to say 'go to the doctors' but frankly, they are almost always useless and treat me like crap. I know I am very overweight but because of that, I just get treated like a lazy fatty who is being a hypochondriac to escape exercise.

Unless I go in with an exact idea of what condition I have and what medication I think I do or don't need they just seem to sit there on Google which I can usually manage myself. I just want to know if this sounds enough like something serious such as asthma or bronchitis that I should bother seeing a doctor or whether I should just keep inhaling cough mixture for another week.

[NuckingFut]

It may be Teberculosis- get it checked out, it can be serious. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Even if you've had the vaccine?

[hslt]

If its there for a few days then the doctor would be right to send you away without treatment, it's most likely a virus.

It does not sound like asthma.

Bronchitis is a possibility, as is an upper respiratory tract infection - the treatment for either after a few days would be sleep, drink plenty of water, eat well and rest some more.

Keep the cough for a few weeks, start bringing blood up, get a raging fever etc. then you might get more than advice.

Obviously - if you're worried, have any doubts, or don't get better, or get worse, then go to the doctor.