Chest infection? Deferred prescription for ABs? Shouldl I take them?

[DraculaNeedsArteries]

Last few days I have have a mucousy chest. Friday I was coughing up solid plaques of gree/brown sludge. Went to GPs (becasue last time I left this over weekend I ended up pretty poorly) who said green sludge does not maketh a chest infection and no other symptoms, chest sounds clear (but was last time).

But he gave me a "deferred prescription" for erythromymicin so I don't have to go to walk-in if I get worse.

Now I do feel as though I have more crap on my chest...but no additional symptoms like fever/chills/sweats though.

I don't really want to get to the stage of having a 39C fever like I did last time, have had thick green goo for the last 3 days (and as I said it is solid green goo, not just yellow watery stuff). It is starting to hurt behind the breastbone to cough...even though I don't have a particularly excessive cough.

But I don't want to take ABs unnecessarily - especiially eerythro...I know what they did to my bowel last time.

WWYD?

\anyone?

Last time I went to docs and 'didn't have chest infection' even though i could not breathe, turned out I had pneumonia!!!

Had to return the next day as they wouldn't give me antibiotics.

So I'm on the side of taking the antibiotics and getting rid of whatever you do have - sometimes I feel docs err too much on side of caution on giving out antibiotics.

DNA, I'd wait till you start to feel poorly in terms of getting a bit feverish etc.

I've had one chest infection where I couldn't get out of bed, had to take them for that really. Otherwise I wqould wait, take some vitamin C and rest as much as you can. Your body might fight it off.

Btw what did the erythro do to you? I'm just getting over c diff (well I hope so) and am now terrified of taking any ABs unless life or death situation...

The erythro gave bloating and terrible stomach cramps. I think there are specific instructions re take with food/before food...I did exactly as I was prescribed and still got the cramps - got worse as the course went on. I was on a 10 day high dose course then....not sure what is on this prescribtion. Shorter course I suspect as back then it was my second course of ABs as first lot didn't work and by the time the Erythro was prescribed there was no doubt that I was poorly. If the erythro hadn't started working within 48hrs I was booked from a chest X Ray I was so poorly.

I am going to leave it for another day or two.

Can you phone your GP in the morning? Ours does phone consultations, or the receptionist takes all the details, speaks to the doc and phones you back.
If it was me and getting pain I'd take the AB's as last time I had a chest infection it turned into pleurisy.
Not sure what you should do though seeing as gave you bowel problems.
Good luck, hope you feel better soon.