Just a Cough?

I was one of those people who thought a cough is just a cough, I'll get over it if I get plenty of rest/drink/etc. The fact that my GP in NL kept telling me to rest each time I had some cough didnt help my nonchalant approach toward coughing. However, now I am more cautious about it.

I remember last year (or was it two years ago?) that John's ribcage was affected by his coughing and needed some general anesthetic (and not to mentioned) expensive treatment for it.

At the moment one of my mom's sisters (she has 7 of them, bear with me) has been coughing for several weeks now, but it didnt stop her to go out of town with my mom last week. Mom said her sister's coughing turned worst on the last night of their trip, she was coughing all night. When they got home, one of their sisters, who happened to be an ENT doctor, called my coughing aunt and asked about the trip and was given weird answers, such as my aunt had no idea about how my mom got home (the fact was: her driver drove my mom home) and things like that. So my aunt crossed check about the trip with my mom, especially about her sister's coughing. Being a doctor, my aunt was concerned that her sister's brain might be injured from all the coughing and ordered a scan. Sure enough, the scan revealed there is a lesion in my aunt's brain that impaired her mind slightly. I guess, with all the coughing, part of her brain didnt get enough oxygen and becoming affected. My aunt is now in treatment.

So you are warned. Do something about your cough, and for the love of g-d dont go spreading your germ/virus by not covering your mouth while coughing!