weird cold/flu like symptoms I can't explain?

hey, so I work at this corigating company if no one knows that is the cardboard box industry, it's a warehouse with TONS UPON TONS of dust, my job is to rack and unrack rotary dies to be put on machines to cut boxes a certain way, when I woke and about 2 hours into my job I was fine, when I took down a die a big blotch of carboard dust fell and I inhaled sum / swallowed, my throat itches like I have a cold and my nose runs like I have a cold but I have no headache, it's kinda hard to breathe also but idk anyone ever had this happen that might know what I could do for some relief? when I cough it makes a rumbling noise in the back of my throat something that I've never had before, any ideas or anything I can do it hurts to swallow but its not scratchy it burn! when I drink it feels a little better but then comes back my snot is clear as water soo i know its not a cold or it'd be green... hope i don't have like dust poison or something... help me out please lol

Your body is just trying to get rid of the dust that you got in your system. And since your body only knows one way to get rid of foreign objects then it deals with it the same way it does with germs and viruses.

I would go to the doctor. Just in case.

ok.. so i guess it aint poison it burns more when i lay down.. im drinking liquids like crazy to relax the pain to get to sleep i gotta get up at 5, thanks for the help, anymore adivce please tell ill check tomorrow thanks

Maybe allergies? I've had really bad allergies from breathing in too much dust before, I had to take medicine before I could stop coughing and stuff.

sounds like an allergic reaction/allergy symptoms along with some minor respiratory congestion/irritation of airways. You ever been to the beach and breath in some sand blowing, and you cough or cant breath for a second or two? Well this is similar except you took a whole bunch in, in which case it'll take longer for your body to clear it out. if you says its just dust that fell, unless you inhaled to a point where you have extremely labored breathing at this point, you should be fine. The pain when laying down might that some parts of your body may be having an inflammatory reaction causing some parts of your body to swell (including small airways in the lungs). Your body might feel weird over the next day or two, but it shouldn't nothing to worry bout. Just your body trying to figure out ways to expel the stuff you took in and its natural reaction processes to it. Try taking two capsules (25mg each) of benadryl (diphenhydramine) before you go to sleep tonight along with alot of water.

Do you have any difficulty breathing at all, swelling of the lips/tongue/oral cavity/throat? Those are signs of a more serious reaction in which case you would need to be administered IV antihistamines/corticosteroids/epinephrine to help your body ease off the reaction. PM me if you have any other questions.

RB, PharmD

wear a mask to work.

haha thanks i've been whereing a mask and you wouldnt believe how much dust is on it.. it's in my opinion kinda a hazardous job and my dads worked there almsot 15 years i bet his lungs look like a smokers just with cardboard dust yuck... my lips did swell and so did my cheeks but thats normal when i have a sinus infection, i've gotten a few headaches, been taking a 12 hour sinus pill along with mucinex to cough everything out, it's just like a cold but its getting better thanks for all the help

np. i think you have to change out masks after so long too.