At the moment I seem to be getting chest infections every 2 weeks- a month and am getting pretty fed up.
I have been told I don’t have asthma or a lung condition as even though my peak flow is low it’s because I’m in a wheelchair! Even though I’m a full time athlete.
I keep getting very short of breath and then very light headed and dizzy as a result of that. I thought it was because of the paint having my downstairs converted for me but it also keeps happening outside; doctor has prescribed me an anti histamine.
I have had a cough for months with all colours of phlegm mostly yellow, black, red and clear; then it goes very yellow when I have an infection. But I just can’t get rid off the phlegm.
The doctors just keep giving me antibiotics and I’m not sure that’s the answer! The doctor also doesn’t want to seem to investigate further. Any advice would be helpful?Thank you in advance 😊
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Grapes12
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Obviously we are all very different, and good luck x
3 year ago I was really poorly and had an awful cough and cold - I had 2 lots of antibiotics in series. Codeine was the only thing to help. I got better and now have the flu jab and that seems to help. Anyway try and hang in there and hopefully it will pass x
Asthma can certainly make you more prone to chest infection however is not the key symptom. If you have a peak flow meter at home then the thing to do to check for asthma is to take a three peak flows and select the highest, do this once in the morning and once in the night for about a month and record your values. You can get a peak flow diary print out on the british lung foundation website I think. In asthma, you would see variability from day to night and this can be taken to your gp who should then either offer you inhalers to see if it makes an improvement or send you for FeNO and lung function.
Recurrent chest infections are more suggestive of chronic bronchitis though which requires further testing. Additionally, it's worth considering you may have dysphagia which can cause recurrent infection and comes with neuromuscular diseases such as ataxia.
I would suggest trying to see a different gp if possible as they seem not so good.
Ask your GP to refer you to the Salt Tea m (Speech and Language Therapy). They can assess your swallow reflex and see if you are aspirating food and drink. Recurring Chest infections can be the first sign.
A family member of mine had chest infections all the time for years. Then he went to see a specialist who sent off samples and found out it was due to moulds. It is important to get tested properly by a chest specialist to see what type of infection it actually is.
My son was coughing up lots of white phlegm for several months. Antibiotics did not help. He was finally admitted to hospital as condition worsened. A bronchoscopy revealed his infection was caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa which can be difficult to treat as resistant to many antibiotics. He was treated with special combination of IV antibiotics for 16 days. His conditioned improved significantly but it continues to be a recurring issue. He takes immunosuppressive meds due to heart transplant and has dysphagia. He has been on a feeding tube over a year but still aspirates on saliva which probably contributes to chronic infection. Hope your condition has improved since posting.
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