Coughing in Public!

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Shoshanna

Guest
This is so common! You aren't alone!
I'm not in school anymore, but when I was it was always a battle to stifle my cough. I'd hold it in, but that would make it worse. I use to go to the bathroom right before class and have a coughing fit to try and get everything out. Sometimes I'd have to do that in the middle of class, too. Bringing a drink helps, but the truth is that the type of coughs we have aren't easily suppressed.

I remember being in class and literally digging my nails into my hand because I was concentrating so hard on not coughing. The hard part was that I had stopped listening to what was being taught because I was so focused on my cough.

There's no easy answer here. If it gets really bad you can take cough medicine, though I know that's not recommended. I use to do it on dates when I'd go to the movies so I wouldn't cough.

It just sucks. That's all.
 
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Shoshanna

Guest
This is so common! You aren't alone!
I'm not in school anymore, but when I was it was always a battle to stifle my cough. I'd hold it in, but that would make it worse. I use to go to the bathroom right before class and have a coughing fit to try and get everything out. Sometimes I'd have to do that in the middle of class, too. Bringing a drink helps, but the truth is that the type of coughs we have aren't easily suppressed.

I remember being in class and literally digging my nails into my hand because I was concentrating so hard on not coughing. The hard part was that I had stopped listening to what was being taught because I was so focused on my cough.

There's no easy answer here. If it gets really bad you can take cough medicine, though I know that's not recommended. I use to do it on dates when I'd go to the movies so I wouldn't cough.

It just sucks. That's all.
 
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Shoshanna

Guest
One more thing: as some others mentioned, it's not just school. Our coughing affects us everywhere we go. I know that I avoid a lot of places I'd normally like to go because of my cough. I can't wait until after tx when I can go to the opera or the ballet or a play etc. i know some people might tell me to go now and not let my CF take over my life, but it's too stressful to deal with trying to hold in my cough or deal with people staring when I do.
And yes, we've all dealt with the people around us who ask us if we're sick or if we smoke. It sucks. I hate it. Just par for the course. And the stupid cough medicine ads that show some guy barely coughing for a second and how sick he is. I'm not gay, but I can sometimes relate to how a closeted gay must feel when everyone around him is straight and all the ads on TV are for straight people and he's got this secret, but no one knows and he has to act like everyone else when he's not. It can be so painful and unfair.

Shoshanna, 33/graduate degree/married/1 year-old son/waiting for tx
 
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Shoshanna

Guest
One more thing: as some others mentioned, it's not just school. Our coughing affects us everywhere we go. I know that I avoid a lot of places I'd normally like to go because of my cough. I can't wait until after tx when I can go to the opera or the ballet or a play etc. i know some people might tell me to go now and not let my CF take over my life, but it's too stressful to deal with trying to hold in my cough or deal with people staring when I do.
And yes, we've all dealt with the people around us who ask us if we're sick or if we smoke. It sucks. I hate it. Just par for the course. And the stupid cough medicine ads that show some guy barely coughing for a second and how sick he is. I'm not gay, but I can sometimes relate to how a closeted gay must feel when everyone around him is straight and all the ads on TV are for straight people and he's got this secret, but no one knows and he has to act like everyone else when he's not. It can be so painful and unfair.

Shoshanna, 33/graduate degree/married/1 year-old son/waiting for tx
 
S

Shoshanna

Guest
One more thing: as some others mentioned, it's not just school. Our coughing affects us everywhere we go. I know that I avoid a lot of places I'd normally like to go because of my cough. I can't wait until after tx when I can go to the opera or the ballet or a play etc. i know some people might tell me to go now and not let my CF take over my life, but it's too stressful to deal with trying to hold in my cough or deal with people staring when I do.
And yes, we've all dealt with the people around us who ask us if we're sick or if we smoke. It sucks. I hate it. Just par for the course. And the stupid cough medicine ads that show some guy barely coughing for a second and how sick he is. I'm not gay, but I can sometimes relate to how a closeted gay must feel when everyone around him is straight and all the ads on TV are for straight people and he's got this secret, but no one knows and he has to act like everyone else when he's not. It can be so painful and unfair.

Shoshanna, 33/graduate degree/married/1 year-old son/waiting for tx
 
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Alessia2dance

New member
I was always embarassed to caough when it was loose. But other than that i'm ok. My parents own their own business and I work for them, my office is upstairs, but you can still hear me coughing from the showroom. Well, this customer came in and heard me coughing and told my dad that he didn't want to deal with anyone but my parents NO ONE ELSE! Because he's a germ phobe and he doesn't want to be around the girl upstairs coughing. He said he can't stand sniffly coughing people. I was so humiliated and cried for hours. My dad told him to take his business elsewhere and don't step foot in his store again. GO DAD!! Now i'm a little for counscious about it than I ever was but oh well, I have cf there's no way around it.
 
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Alessia2dance

New member
I was always embarassed to caough when it was loose. But other than that i'm ok. My parents own their own business and I work for them, my office is upstairs, but you can still hear me coughing from the showroom. Well, this customer came in and heard me coughing and told my dad that he didn't want to deal with anyone but my parents NO ONE ELSE! Because he's a germ phobe and he doesn't want to be around the girl upstairs coughing. He said he can't stand sniffly coughing people. I was so humiliated and cried for hours. My dad told him to take his business elsewhere and don't step foot in his store again. GO DAD!! Now i'm a little for counscious about it than I ever was but oh well, I have cf there's no way around it.
 
A

Alessia2dance

New member
I was always embarassed to caough when it was loose. But other than that i'm ok. My parents own their own business and I work for them, my office is upstairs, but you can still hear me coughing from the showroom. Well, this customer came in and heard me coughing and told my dad that he didn't want to deal with anyone but my parents NO ONE ELSE! Because he's a germ phobe and he doesn't want to be around the girl upstairs coughing. He said he can't stand sniffly coughing people. I was so humiliated and cried for hours. My dad told him to take his business elsewhere and don't step foot in his store again. GO DAD!! Now i'm a little for counscious about it than I ever was but oh well, I have cf there's no way around it.
 
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charl72

New member
None of you should be embarrassed about coughing. If people have a problem with it, that's their problem. I haven't got CF, but my youngest daughter has, and if anyone stared at her if she had a bad cough, I would be really angry! They are the ones with the problem. Just take no notice and cough away. Changing the subject, onto enzymes, last week I took my two daughters in a cafe with my mum for lunch and I gave my youngest daughter her enzymes before her food, and one woman sat across from us just couldn't stop staring. I guess she was just curious about what I was doing, but I just stared back at her. That really p*ssed me off, but at the end of the day it made me more determined not to let other people upset me. It's their problem, not ours. Ignorant people really make me mad.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif" border="0">
 
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charl72

New member
None of you should be embarrassed about coughing. If people have a problem with it, that's their problem. I haven't got CF, but my youngest daughter has, and if anyone stared at her if she had a bad cough, I would be really angry! They are the ones with the problem. Just take no notice and cough away. Changing the subject, onto enzymes, last week I took my two daughters in a cafe with my mum for lunch and I gave my youngest daughter her enzymes before her food, and one woman sat across from us just couldn't stop staring. I guess she was just curious about what I was doing, but I just stared back at her. That really p*ssed me off, but at the end of the day it made me more determined not to let other people upset me. It's their problem, not ours. Ignorant people really make me mad.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif" border="0">
 
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charl72

New member
None of you should be embarrassed about coughing. If people have a problem with it, that's their problem. I haven't got CF, but my youngest daughter has, and if anyone stared at her if she had a bad cough, I would be really angry! They are the ones with the problem. Just take no notice and cough away. Changing the subject, onto enzymes, last week I took my two daughters in a cafe with my mum for lunch and I gave my youngest daughter her enzymes before her food, and one woman sat across from us just couldn't stop staring. I guess she was just curious about what I was doing, but I just stared back at her. That really p*ssed me off, but at the end of the day it made me more determined not to let other people upset me. It's their problem, not ours. Ignorant people really make me mad.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif" border="0">
 
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charl72

New member
PS when I've had a cough, it's bad enough and I haven't got CF. The more you try not to cough, the worse it is. It certainly isn't good for you. I'll shut up now!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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charl72

New member
PS when I've had a cough, it's bad enough and I haven't got CF. The more you try not to cough, the worse it is. It certainly isn't good for you. I'll shut up now!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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charl72

New member
PS when I've had a cough, it's bad enough and I haven't got CF. The more you try not to cough, the worse it is. It certainly isn't good for you. I'll shut up now!<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
As for the original question, I mostly ignore it and cough. Sometimes it's hard, but it's not my fault and there's sh*t I can do about it... If it gets REALLY bad, like a fit, I'll leave for a few and then return.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>mum2kj</b></i>
I have a question for everyone, how do you cope with the need to spit sputum when you are out and about?
There is a limit to how many tissues you can carry lol.</end quote></div>

I swallow it. I know, disgusting. But I'm so used to it and that way I don't have to spit into a napkin or get up to go to the bathroom or garbage every two seconds. The idea may make most people want to barf, but I've gotten so used to it I don't even notice half the time. And when I do, it seems like swallowing saliva to me, it's so natural. *shrug*
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
As for the original question, I mostly ignore it and cough. Sometimes it's hard, but it's not my fault and there's sh*t I can do about it... If it gets REALLY bad, like a fit, I'll leave for a few and then return.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>mum2kj</b></i>
I have a question for everyone, how do you cope with the need to spit sputum when you are out and about?
There is a limit to how many tissues you can carry lol.</end quote></div>

I swallow it. I know, disgusting. But I'm so used to it and that way I don't have to spit into a napkin or get up to go to the bathroom or garbage every two seconds. The idea may make most people want to barf, but I've gotten so used to it I don't even notice half the time. And when I do, it seems like swallowing saliva to me, it's so natural. *shrug*
 
E

Emily65Roses

New member
As for the original question, I mostly ignore it and cough. Sometimes it's hard, but it's not my fault and there's sh*t I can do about it... If it gets REALLY bad, like a fit, I'll leave for a few and then return.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>mum2kj</b></i>
I have a question for everyone, how do you cope with the need to spit sputum when you are out and about?
There is a limit to how many tissues you can carry lol.</end quote></div>

I swallow it. I know, disgusting. But I'm so used to it and that way I don't have to spit into a napkin or get up to go to the bathroom or garbage every two seconds. The idea may make most people want to barf, but I've gotten so used to it I don't even notice half the time. And when I do, it seems like swallowing saliva to me, it's so natural. *shrug*
 
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