Chest infection/wheezing - a few questions

[fuzzpig]

Feeling very sorry for myself - thought I was getting a cold yesterday but it's gone into my chest overnight and I'm wheezing with a very productive cough.

How do I tell if it's a chest infection or just 'viral wheeze'? Sometimes I've been sent away from the dr with a flea in my ear because it's just a virus, other times I've been given ABs, and I'm not able to tell the difference.

Is there anything I can do to ease symptoms? I make myself cough stuff up as soon as I'm wheezy but is there anything else?

What colour is the stuff you cough up?

Not entirely sure as I didn't have my glasses on and it was dark :o

Definitely not clear though - I'd say dark yellow

My dr is so good to me, I came down with similar to you a week ago, I thought it was going to be a cold/flu (shivering, extremes of temps) then it was in my chest. By Friday I could barely breathe, unable to sleep for coughing, still having extremes of temps. so phoned the GP explained the symptoms and he sent a prescription straight over to the pharmacy for me so I just went in and collected it. 500mg of lovely amoxicillin
I have had infections before so know when it is bad or not.
If it helps my colour was pale green

Phone the GP, if it is an infection it will just get worse.

Go to GP and even if they say it's a virus, ask for advice on relieving the symptoms. Hope you feel better soon.

Sorry forgot to come back and respond! Thanks so much for replying.

Felt absolutely terrible all of yesterday, wheezy/spluttery. Actually felt too ill to speak let alone go to the walk in so just lazed on the sofa and cried when I walked down to school (no car)

However cough became less productive overnight and it's not nearly so bad today, feels more headcoldy again. So I guess it was viral.

I think I've worked out a difference between infection and virus though - it's gross but basically I remember other times (most notably the worst CI I've had which needed 3x ABs and then steroids to fix!) when I coughed stuff up it tasted horrific. I mean it's always horrible but this was bitter, like poison. Does that sound plausible?! As it would be great to know when to trek to the doctors and when not to bother (yesterday the idea of going all that way and waiting hours just to get the from a nurse would've utterly floored me)

Local it's great that your dr does that. I've been allowed that a few times with CIs and tonsillitis.

I haven't had tonsillitis though since I started gargling with dilute corsodyl for a few days, every time I get a tickly or scratchy throat. It's a lifechanger! Now if I could find a way to prevent wheezing too I'd be set!