I have this terrible, deep chest cough and it needs to go. Any home remedy suggestions?

drink hot lemon water. if you have brandy put a little bit of that in.

Water, water, and more water. A warm humidifier can help break up the crap in your chest too. When you start coughing up the phlegm, it’s a good sign. If you get a fever, go to the doctor. If you don’t mind SOME medicine, that mucus relief medicine (yes, I buy generic) is good. Get something that says ‘expectorant’.

@ lfino: what does it mean if you have a cough and a fever??

It could be H1N1 or bronchitis. You may need to skip the home remedy bit and head for the doctor, with everything going around.

no no no, think positive!!! it’s just a bad cold… i’m overly stressed and it’s weakening my immune system!!! if it’s was terrible for a night and is better, it can’t be the flu, right?

Cough and fever could just be a bad upper respiratory infection, but that can go into bronchitis pretty quickly too.

Try to sleep as much as humanly possible, too. It’s a great healer.

The flu is a virus transmitted in the air. If you have no defenses for it (ie you have not been immunized or you have not previously had it), you can indeed have the flu.

If you have a fever and a cough, and the cough is really bad, you probably should check with a doctor. Many people ride this out, but I just heard of one friend who was very very sick with bad coughing, and was in the hospital for a couple of days. Taking care of yourself is what you need to do.

I have had a lot of success if I anoint myself liberally with Vicks Vap-o-Rub or similar product. of course you will smell like a giant mentholiptus, but it helps. Also put a generous dab under your nose. A shower as hot as you can stand while thus anointed really kicks in the phlem loosening power of this stuff.
If your illness has been building over a couple days it’s likely not the flu. It comes on like a bus and slams you to the ground with great vigor. If you have a fever and productive coughs, seek medical attention. If no fever and clear sputum when you cough, you are good to go for the hot shower, chest rub thing.

It can indeed be the H1N1 flu. If you’re running a fever. and have a bad cough, you run the risk of developing pneumonia.

Hopefully, you’re staying home and away from people. You risk exposing other people if you try to “suck it up” and continue with what your life. The fastest way to get better is to seek medical treatment. Speaking from experience here, every time I’ve try to self-medicate a bad cough with a fever, it’s taken 2–3 times longer to get over it. As in 3–4 weeks of being sick, and I end up going to the doctor anyways.

Do you have a family doctor? At least call. I’ve had them phone in prescriptions for heavy duty cough syrup before without having me going into the office. I doubt that would be the case in the midst of the H1N1 epidemic, however.

Best home remedy for these symptoms: Call your Doctor!