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Sore Throat, Chest Congestion, Clear Mucus. Had Cold. Is It Still Contagious?
Question: Hello Doctor,
I had a cold and my first symptom (sore throat) was 4 weeks ago and the 2-day fever was exactly 3 weeks ago. It was a pretty bad cold and I had all kinds of common symptoms of a cold. Now most of the symptoms are gone but I still feel a tiny bit congested in my nose (as in sounding a bit nasal but my nose is not blocked or running and I sleep well with no breathing problem at nights) and I am a bit congested in my chest (as in there is a small whooping sound occasionally when I try to breath very hard but I do not have a cough or any other symptoms). I stopped spitting out yellow phlegm about 4 days ago and now my mucus is clear. I wonder if I am still contagious at this point if I hang out/have dinner/be intimate with family and friends/boyfriend? If so, how long will I be contagious for? What can I do to get rid of chest congestion if I am not coughing?
I had a cold and my first symptom (sore throat) was 4 weeks ago and the 2-day fever was exactly 3 weeks ago. It was a pretty bad cold and I had all kinds of common symptoms of a cold. Now most of the symptoms are gone but I still feel a tiny bit congested in my nose (as in sounding a bit nasal but my nose is not blocked or running and I sleep well with no breathing problem at nights) and I am a bit congested in my chest (as in there is a small whooping sound occasionally when I try to breath very hard but I do not have a cough or any other symptoms). I stopped spitting out yellow phlegm about 4 days ago and now my mucus is clear. I wonder if I am still contagious at this point if I hang out/have dinner/be intimate with family and friends/boyfriend? If so, how long will I be contagious for? What can I do to get rid of chest congestion if I am not coughing?
Hello,
Thanks for the query
It is normal to have chest congestion and nasal block upto 6 weeks of getting the flu. Since you dont have fever it is unlikely that you are contagious so you can definitely hang around with your friends.
You can get rid of the nasal block by putting drops of oxymetazolin ( if you are not allergic to ) to both your nostrils. This drug lasts for about 8 hours.
You can Keep yourself warm and Avoid cold drinks as these both adds to the nasal block
Have a speedy recovery
Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Thanks for the query
It is normal to have chest congestion and nasal block upto 6 weeks of getting the flu. Since you dont have fever it is unlikely that you are contagious so you can definitely hang around with your friends.
You can get rid of the nasal block by putting drops of oxymetazolin ( if you are not allergic to ) to both your nostrils. This drug lasts for about 8 hours.
You can Keep yourself warm and Avoid cold drinks as these both adds to the nasal block
Have a speedy recovery
Hope I have answered your query. Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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