I have had a runny nose and sort of an occasional wheezing cough for about two months now. The symptoms are quite mild, generally don't interfere with activities and my energy levels are about normal. So essentially this is more of a nuisance than a serious problem. Lack of sleep and excessive exercise may be contributing to the problem, but usually for me a cold doesn't last more than a couple weeks, tops. I realize that the obvious solution is to go see a Doctor. I went to the clinic a month ago and the doc politely told me it was probably just a relapsing viral infection and to kindly go f**k off. Well it's been another month with no change. So, thoughts? Should I suck it up or go back to the clinic?

Go back and demand they treat you or accurately diagnose you. Two months is a long time and you need to be your best advocate. Good luck!

Yeah, these kind of things can go on and on if you don't get properly treated. A friend of mine has had a cough for nearly two years now and still refuses to go to the doctor.

Don't be like him, go get yourself well.

Well,I'm someone who has had a few sinus infections and those symptoms sound very familiar.It seems that the last couple of Winters I've had to get a prescription for Flonaise.Maybe you should see a different doctor.

Dan, I think there's something going around right now that's pretty awful. I know several people who cannot shake colds/coughs they developed this winter. Please get enough sleep, and do go back to the doctor when you can. I had a terrible sinus cold (sinus pains, a sore throat, lots of mucus, some earache, etc.) and a persistent cough for about three weeks starting right before Christmas. The nose is still a little runny and the cough still pops up at times, but I've pretty much gotten over the sinus problem. I've been doing sinus cleansing and just trying to get rest, eat properly and so on. Try those things, but do go to the doctor if you feel you're not getting better. And whenever you can, wash your hands vigorously!

Yeah, so I went to the clinic again today and asked to see a different doctor. I usually find this easier than seeing the Varsity assigned doctor who is only available three times a week for general health matters. Don't get me wrong, the varsity doc is fantastic once you get to see him. He got me an X-ray, bone-scan and physio referral all in one day because apparently line-cutting at the university hospital is one of the few perks you get being an athlete in Canada, but for something like this, I really don't want to wait once I have made the choice to go. Anyway, he said the same thing as you, except for I might consider trying for at least 9 hours of sleep and maybe a glutamine supplement because of my activity level. Also I am to go back in two weeks if it does not get better.

Uh, scuse me? A cough for a year? A cold for two months? WTF? You're asking for something serious when you ignore your body and its clear and obvious symptoms. If it's viral, you have to sleep it off, drink orange juice until you're overflowing...Sleep is KEY!!!!...And another thing: a key part of training is recovery.

And a Doctor won't solve something viral - he'll tell ya to sleep, etc...

I swear by lots of orange juice and lots of green tea...oh, and did I mention sleep?

It is extraordinarily weird for a viral infection, like a cold, to linger long in a person with a normal immune system. It is entirely possible you have picked up a minor bacterial infection, which took advantage of your weakend state during the cold. I am a mild asthmatic, and nearly always get bronchitis after a cold. The cold lasts the normal 7 - 10 days, but the bronchitis lingers long after. If you are wheezing and generating mucus, it could be a case of bronchitis.