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Housecall Archives
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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Mayo Clinic Housecall
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When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffConsult your doctor if your cough lasts longer than a week or 10 days or is accompanied by:
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Thick, greenish-yellow sputum
- Bloody phlegm or sputum
- Wheezing
- Stiff neck
- Fever
Seek emergency care if you:
- Can't catch your breath
- Have hives and swelling of your face or throat
Seek emergency care if your child's cough is accompanied by:
- Drooling or swallowing difficulty
- Stiff neck
- Blue or dusky lips
- Breathing trouble
- High-pitched noises when inhaling
- Fever of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher for newborns and 103 F (39.4 C) or higher for older children
Self-care measures
To ease your cough, try these tips:
- Suck cough drops or hard candies. They may ease a dry cough and soothe an irritated throat. Don't give them to a child under age 3, however, because they can cause choking.
- Increase the moisture in the air of your home. Use a vaporizer or take a hot, steamy shower.
- Drink fluids. Liquid helps thin the mucus in your throat. Warm liquids, such as broth or tea, can soothe your throat.
