So ill with chest and at the end of my rope, reassurance/advice please!

[Rolypops]

I have posted here a few times over these last (horrible!) few weeks but need some advice again. I have been suffering from a severe chest infection for four weeks now. After three weeks I went to the hospital on the Sunday after coughing up blood. I was told it was probably bronchitis and sent home with a short course of steroids and a weeks worth amoxycillin and told to go back in if no change in three days. After three days I was feeling even worse, so back into hospital where I waited twelve hours overnight in A&E and then admitted.

Initially I was told I had community pneumonia and they did a bunch of tests including Covid (clear) x-ray (which the Dr said looked reasonably alright, whatever that means ) and finally a CT scan. I was then told I have Bronchiolitis (something I thought only children got) and given stronger ABs which I finished yesterday and swiftly discharged. Online it says ABs aren't even recommended for Bronchiolitis.

It will be four weeks on Monday and I am still coughing and more scarily I am still wheezing quite badly when I exhale, it sounds like I have a toolbox in my chest! It seemed to be getting better but has now come back. I am so worried they have missed something more sinister or got the diagnosis wrong. I have never had anything remotely wrong with my chest before and have scared myself shitless seeing things like COPD online. Surely I should have started to get better by now?

Can anyone give me reassurance or tell me how long the recovery time should be for this sort of thing? All the Drs are on strike today so I couldn't get through to my GP and I am terrified of going back into hospital.

Just so ill and so upset and was given no advice on how long it should take to feel like me again .

Sounds like you might need some inhalers, I have just been to the Dr's for the same and wondered why I saw a nurse practitioner, they should keep her tbh. You will have to keep going back.

Would an inhaler stop the wheezing? I know nothing about inhalers/asthma!

I had a hideous bout of bacterial bronchitis a few years ago, it was awful so I feel your pain. I did end up with an inhaler on top of all the rounds of antibiotics. They put me on salbutamol and it really helped the wheeze.

It was six weeks before I felt relatively ok but a good six months before I was back to normal.

Hope you get better soon

I'm assuming you're not a current/ex smoker, so you should recover in time. It can take a while though and, as others say, you might need an inhaler. Look at lung strengthening exercises on YouTube.

I have just been diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). You are presenting how I presented. I know what my trigger was luckily and am hoping to fully recover. I also had to do the 12 hour wait in A & E.

Ask to see a pulmonologist.

I'm sorry you're feeling ill. I started to feel ill last Sunday. It developed into full blown flu on Tuesday night. Temperature of 39°C. I did four Covid tests, all negative . But I'm left with the wheeziest hacking cough. It's loose but no phlegm coming up. Saw Dr yesterday and she thinks it's asthma which I think is bollocks. Point blank refused antibiotics which I think I need because this is a chest infection. I'd like to know how long this is going to continue because the coughing is knocking me out.

@CriticalAlert - it could be asthma. I had 2 bouts of bronchitis followed by a cough which after 6 weeks I couldn't stand any longer. GP prescribed inhalers because the bronchitis had triggered late onset asthma. Haven't had a chest infection since (plus haven't had covid) If you don't have inhalers you should get them!

Could they have said Bronchiectasis??

Have you tried the Asthma and Lung UK helpline?

I hope you feel better soon.

Definitely says bronchiolitis on my discharge paperwork but again, it says online abs aren't routinely given to treat this?
Overall I am improving but I still have so much gunk on my chest and it's still making a terrible sound when I breathe out.

This is what I am doing to clear my chest OP.

In addition to the steroids, the salbutamol and steroid inhaler the GP has given me

I am nebulising myself with saline. I take expectorant cough medicine four times a day. I have made myself capsules of hot chilli powder and also capsules of turmeric mixed with black pepper.

I take a concoction of 'sludge' which consists of powdered liquorice root, cocoa, curry powder, cumin, coriander, clove, ginkgo biloba, sage, thyme, rosemary, ginseng and ginger four times a day.

I have been exposed to dust from a building site. I have acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis and all the above is really starting to shift the crap off my chest now.