is it a cold?

Okay, I have a really bad cough and im very congested. my throat hurts and so does my chest. Im also starting to have stomach isues. but i have no fever. Plus i have been sick for over two weeks and its gotten to the point where i can barely breath. I don't have health insurance, so I need to know what i should do. I will only go to the doctor if it is completely necissary because i really can't afford it.

[Unforgiven11]

That sounds like me when I had swine flu but if you got the vaccine then you dont need to worry about that. If your breathing is bad I would recommend that you take your pulse or get someone to do it for you if its low then I would recommend going to the doctor. Also if it is a serious cold you will probably need antibiotics just so you dont get an infection. Hope this helps somewhat. If your symptoms dont go away in a few days or if they get worse I would go to a clinic as soon as possible.

[Myown]

Get yourself some good old fashioned Vicks Vapor Rub.
You can get it in a tube, cream, non greasy.
Put it on your chest area and cover it with a hanke.
Put some right under your nose so you breath it in too.
Make yourself some homemade chicken soup - just throw some chicken into a pot of water with some onion, lots of garlic, chopped carrots, spice the way you like it, a bay leaf if you have it..

There is something in homemade chicken soup that really does help...My doctor recommends this all the time when someone has symptoms such as what you have.

Feel better,
MO

[Toddyb]

I have been sick for 6 weeks, going on seven.  I called my Dr. the second week and he told me it was a cough and not to worry.  The third week, I went to urgent care, I was diagnosed with bronchitis.  I felt worse the fourth week, so I went back to urgent care and was diagnosed with puemonia.  I went back the fifth week and had fluid in my ears and swollen glands, all the while my coughing and not breathing well.  I have been on amoxicillin, levaquin, and zpak, with two rounds of steroids and an inhaler.  I was out of work for almost a month and just went back this week, I really can't handle this cough anymore!  I'm waking up in the middle of the night with coughing attacks that last anywhere from half an hour to hours.  I feel like I'm going to die, but from what I've read, this seems to be pretty common lately.  Without my inhaler, I would be in serious trouble, it seems the only thing that helps.  I really don't want to go back to the Dr. I feel like I'm just wasting time and money.  Does anyone have any advice on this?  I'm really getting depressed, it's embarasing and my back is killing me!