Hello, I have been fighting what I thought was just a common cold since thursday morning and was just feeling really tired out on friday. Saturday I stayed home from work and slept off and on throughout the day. Yesterday I was outside with a friend and was coughing throughout the day also coughing up muccos and had mild chest pain while coughing... Today at work I was couging and had times I had to stop to catch my breath as I was short of breath. Now was woundering what this may be and should I go see my doctor or go into urgent care?
Hello, Yes, you should definitely consult pulmonologist because possibility of bronchitis is more likely in your case. Bronchitis is inflammation of airways. It is very common after viral upper respiratory tract infection (common cold). It causes bronchospasm and this in turn causes chest pain, coughing, mucus expectoration and breathing difficulty. So, get done clinical examination of respiratory system and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test).PFT will not only diagnose bronchitis, but it will also tell you about severity of the disease and treatment is based on severity only. You will mostly improve with inhaled bronchodilators (formoterol or albuterol) and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) (budesonide or fluticasone). Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.