colleague contantly coughes advice?

DCFC79

OP dont let wound up by the replies, I have worked with someone who did cough alot and found it annoying but i just got on with the job,

mynameisclare

hartleysjam wrote: »

Do yourselves a favour guys if you've got nothing helpful to offer why waste your time?? Was only asking for advice not a character assasination.

Yes and you got the advice to put up with it rather than complain to HR. Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean it wasn't advice.

dandelionclock30

People have been taking things to extremes here saying it could be construed as bullying etc. Im sorry but if a noise at work is affecting you and you raise it in a sensible way with your line manager this is not bullying.
Sometimes on here people say things just to be as awkward as possible. If you said you were very cold at work and couldnt cope, they would have worked at the North Pole with just a cheap jumper for warmth etc!
If something affects you at work then a decent employer should come up with a solution that is helpfull to everyone.

pimento

hartleysjam wrote: »

Oh give it a rest troll..I asked for advice not an opinion. Grow up.

Blimey, if you're anything like this in real life I wouldn't be surprised if your work colleague's cough is a nervous one, scared of upsetting you and you turning on him.

Some ACE Inhibitors used to treat blood pressure cab cause a persistent dry cough.

skintandscared_2

Why doesn't someone just make them a nice cup of tea... A drink always stops me coughing.

juliebunny

<holds hands up> I'm a cougher, and probably a sniffer. It's a medical condition caused by being very allergic. My lovely office has no opening windows, awful air con, loads of toxic photocopiers etc, and it really doesn't help.
A former manager once complained to me about it and I was mortified. I hadn't noticed how much I was doing it, and it's a condition that for me is exaserbated by stress. I've had 2 operations but it's a life long condition. My excellent ENT consultant (who does not know how many cats I have....) - when I discussed it with her - put me on a very powerful drug which really stopped all of my symptoms dead. However, I noticed it was causing personality changes in me and when I googled this drug, it has been linked to suicides and there are a lot of concerns about it in the USA. So I'm now back to sniffing and coughing....luckily our office is pretty big and noisy. I try to keep it down and try not to get stressed (including doing meditations).

So sorry to everyone I have every annoyed over the years....I wish I could stop it.....but I simply can't...people at work are aware of my medical condition and are allowed to have ipods too...

Mrs_Arcanum

I know I have an occasional dry cough. Unfortunately it is a side effect of my Blood Pressure medication. Most people just check if I am Ok & I then explain.

It might be worth chatting to this person rather than remaining ignorant of the cause. They may well be unaware how it affects others, as prior to now they have had their own office so it bothered no one.

Hootie19

We have a colleague who is exactly like this. It seems to be worse everytime they eat or drink. When the "if you've had a cough for more than three weeks" advertising campaign came on the tv, we encouraged them to go to the GP "just to make sure". I can't remember what they said the diagnosis was, but said that the GP said it wasn't the early signs of lung cancer.

They were given tablets to take, which they said they only have to take "when it gets really bad". So far, they said they've not had to take any. Goodness knows what they class as "really bad" then!

So we still have the coughing, and it's still irritating and distracting, but now we just have to put up and shut up.

OP, you have my full sympathy. I know how distracting it can be. But unfortunately, I don't really think there is anything you can do about it.

The earphones suggestion seems a good one, if that's feasible in your office. Unfortunately, it's not in ours as we are on the phones a lot, and have to listen out for other people's phones when they are away from their desks.

spendaholiceejit

Hi,
I would also go with the earphones option. I work with someone who says the word 'ummmm' at least three times in every sentence. When it gets really bad I just pop in the earphones and stop letting it drive me nuts. I know it seems anti-social, but I have deadlines and need to work!

It's such a silly thing to get wound up over, but it is really hard to 'unnotice' something like that. Best to take a deep breath and work around it. If it gets to the stage where you are really frustrated, leave the desk for 5 minutes.

good luck!

bunty109

I was going to suggest it could be a medication that is causing it. My dad was on an ace inhibitor that did it but there are other effective medications that don't have this side-effect. But unless he sees the coughing as a problem he'd like help with then he couldn't be forced to a doctor.
Maybe you just need to mention the fact he's got a cough and see where the conversation goes? It could be a number of things and if it is a medication side-effect he might be glad to know that.