Chest Infection?

[StuckInTheSameOld]

Is it possible to have a chest infection but your lungs sound clear on a stethoscope?
I have a very heavy phlegmy cough which has now turned yellow/green/slightly brown in colour. I'm also very congested, cannot breathe out of nose, and have ear pain which is worse when trying to clear my nose. In general just don't feel well. My gp is so reluctant to do antibiotics or a chest xray, but I just feel that something is amiss here for me to feel this rough. Any advice/previous experience?

Anyone?

Have you seen your gp? Do they think it’s viral?

They've just said that my lungs sound clear so it must be where I've pulled my intercostal chest muscles. But the cough that caused me to pull the muscles was a dry cough that I got given doxycycline for, which helped, but cough never fully went away, and has now turned very phlegmy and with congestion.

It could be an upper respiratory infection(URTI) - in the back of your throat and nose rather than deep down into your lungs.

That way when they listen to your chest this area is clear, but the infection is the upper area - especially as you say you have ear pain - if the eustachian tubes that link nose to ears are inflammed/blocked that might explain the ear pain.

Still could be a viral infection rather than bacterial - especially if doxycicline didn't help (usually given for sinusitis)

How do they know if its in the upper area? They've only listened with stethoscope and taken my blood/oxygen reading. Temperature was slightly high when I last went about my muscles, but that night was when my congestion and weird chunky phlegm started. Is it worth trying to push for antibiotics? I know nobody wants to be ill, but when it's just me and two under 5 I'm really struggling to even get them into school/playgroup.

The fact that all your symptoms are upper airway (nasal/throat/ear) rather than chest (no abnormal sounds in the chest)

You have already had antibiotics - they didn't help.

Sounds more like a sinus infection.

Ah okay, I didnt know if maybe the antibiotics weren't strong enough or something. I dont Google about medicines so hopelessly looking for ways to get better quicker.

Chest infections don’t cause a stuffy nose and earache, sounds like a bad cold virus with a bit of beonchitis. Did you ask the GP for advice on when you should get seen again?

Sometimes it's just a matter of time, rest, plenty of fluids and perhaps saline nose drops/inhalation or even steam (warm shower or bath) - these may help thin out the nasal secretions.

It is tough with little ones, if you have any help at all, I would ask them to come and give you a hand.

That's the pain, I have no help available, so just me. I'm just struggling and in tears with the pain of the muscles everytime I move. Frustrated I guess. The dr was more focused on the intercostal muscle pull, but this phlegm/congestion/etc only started that evening after I'd got pain killers for the muscles.

Something with guaifenisin (sp?!) in will thin the mucus and make it easier to get rid of. That and Sudafed (the stuff you get from a pharmacist not the supermarket) really helped me when I had similar recently.

I hate to say it, but we have something called “The 100 day Cough” going round here. Initial proper chesty cough followed by days and days of coughing.

I would be pushing for a chest x ray to rule anything more serious out

Hi all. Thank you all for your replies. I managed to see a different doctor late last night who wanted to send me to hospital then and there. He even rang my 'so-called' partner (theres a lot issues surrounding him and I'm starting to see it is emotional abuse) and said that I need someone with me and that he cannot expect me to have the children on my own and do everything. Sorry for my ramble, basically I have a very bad chest/sinus infection that he said next 2 days are crucial. All sounded rather scary. But at least now I have antibiotics and steroids. I really hope they work because I'm feeling very low about everything, and the relationship issues are even worse when I'm not ill as I'm always had a go at. Sorry, I'm rambling again I know. Anyway, thank you to all that posted for me.

I think it’s very unlikely that the op has the 100 day cough/ whooping cough. The fundamental symptom of this is violent, difficult coughing fits, most of the night. If op had this, this is the symptom that she would describe as most troublesome.

Hope you feel better soon, op, I know from experience how hard it is to be ill when you have young children.

I've had something similar - started with dry irritating cough, then mucus started to come out and weird bubbling deep in the throat (not chest) when lying down, then it kinda went upwards with strong congestion and pain in the sinuses. It cleared within 5 weeks completely. My GP said it is viral, and currently he sees this a lot - multiple viruses present at once (flu + respiratory tract or flu + covid). I had no prescription drugs, just paracetamol, cough syrup with guaifenesin, some herbal teas (NUTRA throat and NUTRA defence), sinus rinse kit with saline solution from amazon. It was absolutely terrible - threw my lower back off from all the coughing, but it cleared. Hope you will get better soon, too!

They could not hear anything on my chest until I asked for more tests, it was pneumonia! That was back in January but currently in bed again with it 😭 hope everyone’s okay