Brown Mucus?

After having swollen gums and post nasal drip for a week, I suddenly woke up this Monday with a weird feeling in my lungs and a cough. The cough itself was a bit dry but it didn't hurt. Every morning I'd wake up with mucus and I'd cough some up but during the day and night the cough would be dry. I seemed to be getting better but last night, after eating a few potato chips, I suddenly got worse. This morning I woke up with the same thing (mucus, coughing) and while I was eating my turkey sandwich, I coughed up some really thick mucus. I spit it out and it was brown. Brown mucus doesn't seem normal, but I don't cough up mucus much....should I see a doctor?

[mlchai]

Forgot to mention that I only coughed up brown mucus once...honestly when I cough up mucus I end up swallowing it since I can't fully get it to come out. :(

[Enoch Choi, MD]

A week of these symptoms is too long, go see a doctor, they'll listen to your lungs and see if this sounds like pneumonia

[dmk51]

my son has had the swine flu for a couple of days, he has been coughing up brownish mucus, should i worry?