Have had a cough since the week after Christmas. My PCP put me on 10 days of antibiotic treatment even though the strep test she did was negative. I am still coughing and have a really red and sore throat, Now it hurts to wear a bra and I am having difficulty taking deep breath.
Sounds like a progression perhaps from a common cold towards either a bronchitis (infection of the upper airways) or a true pneumonia (infection of the lower airways). It would help to have a little more background on you, for example do you smoke? Do you have asthma or allergies? The red throat can be explained by persistent irritation to your inner lining of your mouth due to persistent coughing. Taking a cough suppressant medication like Phenergan Dm + Codeine is a good idea, as well as Lesson Perls to stop the cough reflex and allow you inner throat lining to heal. Are you coughing any phlegm up or is it a Chat Doctor?  You should, at this point, have gotten a X-ray to evaluate for lung pathology. I would start here and follow up with your PCP and report back. Marco Heidi, M.D. Family Medicine