Why does it keep coming back?

[antibacterialpie]

I'm getting scared now because before December 2020 I hardly got chest infections at all. Then I had to clean out a very dirty shed, got sick coughing up horrible thick green stuff - the Dr gave me strong antibiotics but it comes back. It's been back 5 times since and is awful. Antibiotics seem to 'stem' it for a week then back it comes sooner or later. Does anyone know why it won't go? I'm 43, don't smoke, usually healthy and now terrified!

Have the done a sputum culture?

No, just give more tablets, the same ones.

If this were me I would ask the doctor for something stronger as the antibiotics they are prescribing are not working

Do you know if they were 250mg or 500mg antibiotics? I had repeated chest infections and my dad said my 250mg antibiotics were 250mg and therefore the ones they use to 'shut you up ' the 500 mg sorted me out. Apologies to any GPs who might be reading. I know fully well why they don't like to over prescribe but sometimes needs must.

They were amoxycillin 750. Seems quite a lot, but it's still there!

I would ask for a sputum culture to be done. Could it be a fungal infection possibly linked to cleaning the dirty shed??

Dr needs to find the actual cause. The pattern suggests to me not traditionally bacterial but mould or spore or even fungus as the root cause but you cannot be certain without tests

Have you told dr of recurrences and that's the 5 occurrences of which you speak? And they know about the shed?

Because if so you defo need to see a different dr this is not acceptable to just keep dosing you with antibiotics!

I'm assuming COVID ruled out?

I do, but they seem to brush it off as long as you are covid negative which I have been since recovery over a year ago, I got it early on but no issues until months later. I think I need to ask for culture, talk a bit more about the dirty shed thing! If that can cause this kind of thing.

@antibacterialpie

I do, but they seem to brush it off as long as you are covid negative which I have been since recovery over a year ago, I got it early on but no issues until months later. I think I need to ask for culture, talk a bit more about the dirty shed thing! If that can cause this kind of thing.

I was ill a few years ago. I had a horrible cough that would not go away and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic which did not work. I started coughing blood and got stress incontinece. I went back and she sent me for a chest x ray and gave me some more antibiotics which did not work.

Eventually I saw a different doctor who told me straight away that i had bronchitis and prescribed a strong antibiotic which worked.

May I just say I hardly ever get poorly but this went on for too long and if I had been correctly dignosed I would not have stress incontinence now. See another doctor

Thank you. I have the stress incontinence already, sadly! It's a bit of a nightmare.

Fungal infection?
Definitely request a culture