Laryngitis - treatment?

[Crankin]

When I moved back here, I would get this every October, a result of the colder weather and the beginning of school. I wasn't sick, just could not talk, which pretty much eliminates being at work for a teacher. I did go to the doctor the first time and the one thing she told me was do not drink hot drinks! Keep sipping and drinking cool water all day. And don't talk! I kept trying to talk in a whisper voice, which made it worse.

[OakLeaf]

You could still drink or gargle the cooled infusion

The University of Maryland is my usual go-to for home remedies when I don't have something specific in mind. Here's what they have to say: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed...ion/laryngitis

[rocknrollgirl]

I had it really bad last year. My vocal cords were so swollen I was having trouble breathing. Especially at night. It was pretty scary. I went to the doc and they gave me a short course of steroids. It worked like a charm, at least for the swelling. The lingering hoarse voice and cough lasted for weeks, but at least I could breathe.

Might be work a shot.

[marni]

whenever we used to go skiing both my father and I would go completely hoarse. He carried of hip flask of equal amounts honey, bourbon and lemon juice. got a small swig every night. It helped, but it had to be at night or after I was done skiing for safety reasons.

[ny biker]

Thanks ladies.

I went for a bike ride last night. My legs felt great but I was wheezing on every hill, and it was from my throat, not asthma. So I'm going to try a doctor. Of course since this is a holiday weekend the earliest appointment I could get is for Tuesday morning. I made the appointment, but will go to urgent care tonight. I'm pretty sure my insurance requires a hefty copay for urgent care but if there is any treatment available I want to start it now.

The UMd website was interesting. I do usually take zinc lozenges when I first get a cold and they usually help. But this cold started differently than usual, with wheezing a full day before the tell-tale sore throat, so I didn't start the zinc early enough. I did find that menthol cough drops were very helpful, so much so that I almost went out and bought some old-fashioned Vicks Vapo-Rub when the cough and congestion were at their worst.

[OakLeaf]

Yuck. Hope the doc had something for you and you feel better soon.

[ny biker]

Thanks. The visit to urgent care went more smoothly than I could have hoped, with no patients in the waiting room when I arrived. I saw a P.A. who confirmed that my lungs were clear and gave me a prescription for prednisone. If it's not better in a few days I need to see an ENT specialist. And there's no need to limit my activities.

And yes she asked "is your heart rate always this low?" I would have been disappointed if she hadn't.

The pharmacist recommended taking the first dose tomorrow morning because it can cause insomnia. I'm looking forward to it.

Btw my copay was only $20 -- with my old insurance I think it would have been $60. Many aspects of my job frustrate me but we do have good health insurance, which is an indication that upper management respects us. I do appreciate that.