mother had flue and cough 3 weeks ago, cough persisted, and yesterday hives and fainting

Hello,

My Mother had the flu about 3 weeks ago, which was accompanied by a sore throat, and drowsiness. The congestion passed after about 5 days, but the cough has remained for almost 3 weeks. Doctor tested it a week ago, but it was not strep and he didn't know what it was but said it seemed like a virus. Yesterday night she noticed some hives all over her body, and the following morning, she woke up and fainted, still with hives, and with a 96 degree temperature, some nausea. Doctor gave a steroid for the hives, and some steroid pills. Hives returned later on in the day, along with a hoarse throat. The cough persists, not seeming to improve.

What could this be? Doctor doesn't know, and we cant find it on the internet. I found that a chronic cough could be linked to acid reflux, and she does drink two cups of coffee every morning. She also has had a light cough for the last several years, and has been burping more than I do or more than I notice other people - perhaps something in her diet is wrong and causing some stomach acid to scar her throat, irritating it, and exacerbating a cough from flu/nasal drip? She says she has had sinus congestion/pressure before and that she once lost sense of smell for a while. She didn't eat anything out of the ordinary prior to the hives - she went to work, then yoga, then shopping, then had some dinner of rice and chicken - all as usual. Not heavy pollen out now. It was not overly hot out when she fainted, and her blood pressure and EKG were fine. Other than coffee, her diet is quite good - lots of vegetables, no junk food, no smoking, rare alcohol. She works in an office in a university, and gets exercise from yoga, walking.

What could cause her to faint? What could cause these hives? What could cause this cough? What connects these all together?

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

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