Hello -
It sounds like the
coughing wound up being worse than the orginal problem. I'm sorry to hear that, and you will need to give the chest muscles and cartilage a break in order for that to heal, so wrestling with the animals probably is out for a week or so. Also, the animals may well wind up irritating the bronchii, since the infection will make you more sensitive in that area where you might not have been otherwise -- and exposure to animal dander and other by-products could have caused the infection to start with.
Finish the Z-Pack, use the inhaler as instructed, and use over-the-counter non-steroidal-
anti-inflammatory pain meds like Advil or Aleve to help with the
chest pain. Also rest the chest! This is very imporatant, as is assessing the possibility that you
cought something as a result of tending the animals, since there are a lot of possible exposures not only to irritants but to bacteria, in that job.
I hope this is helpful. Best of luck and please keep us updated.
