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What Causes Shortness Of Breath And Bad Cough After Treatment Of Bronchitis?
Question: I was diagnosed with bronchitis two months ago. I took the antibiotics correctly and finish it. I've been worse. not even getting better. extreme hot flashes, nausea , horrible headaches. hard to breath when I lye down, I get a stabbing feeling in my sides. no runny nose, extremely sleepy. and a cough that gets worse and worse. Ive been coughing up sputum. like a Grey yellow red color. I attached a picture.
what can it be? should I go to e.r ?
what can it be? should I go to e.r ?
Brief Answer:
See a doctor soon- doesn't have to be ER
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Sometimes after bronchitis people experience an asthma-like picture that can cause shortness of breath and a bad cough. This could be what is happening. There are different treatments for this but first you need a doctor to listen to your lungs, assess your breathing capacity, and test your oxygen level. I would also be concerned that this might have progressed into pneumonia. This would create similar symptoms and require the same assessment. Pneumonia can also cause pain in the sides around the lungs (pleurisy). The look of the sputum doesn't give a lot of clues, but the doctor can look at it under the microscope for evidence of infection and culture it to determine the bacteria. It could be that the bacteria you had were not susceptible to the antibiotic you took and that's why you didn't get better.
Since it's been going on awhile, it's probably not necessary to go as an emergency unless you are really having problems breathing now. But you do need to get seen very soon. An urgent care clinic or your own doctor could take care of this. You might need a chest x-ray to look for pneumonia. I think your best bet is an urgent care center where whatever tests are needed can be done right away.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
See a doctor soon- doesn't have to be ER
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. Sometimes after bronchitis people experience an asthma-like picture that can cause shortness of breath and a bad cough. This could be what is happening. There are different treatments for this but first you need a doctor to listen to your lungs, assess your breathing capacity, and test your oxygen level. I would also be concerned that this might have progressed into pneumonia. This would create similar symptoms and require the same assessment. Pneumonia can also cause pain in the sides around the lungs (pleurisy). The look of the sputum doesn't give a lot of clues, but the doctor can look at it under the microscope for evidence of infection and culture it to determine the bacteria. It could be that the bacteria you had were not susceptible to the antibiotic you took and that's why you didn't get better.
Since it's been going on awhile, it's probably not necessary to go as an emergency unless you are really having problems breathing now. But you do need to get seen very soon. An urgent care clinic or your own doctor could take care of this. You might need a chest x-ray to look for pneumonia. I think your best bet is an urgent care center where whatever tests are needed can be done right away.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Answered by
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