Any suggestions or diagnoses?

[requiem]

I'm 22 and a regular smoker... about a month back i experienced a bad cold and after that i experienced the constant feeling of phlegm at the back of the throat sometimes causing difficulties in breathing, went to a doctor and got the diagnose that i was suffering from a throat infection but problem continued... went back to the same doctor but the same diagnose again... was admitted to the hospital the following week following diificulty in breathing but doctors just prescribed a cough mixture to help me get rid of the phlegm...
THis problem has been bothering me up till now and i'm experienced immsomnia, shortness of breath, nausea,and also loss of apetite...lately been noticing the phlegm that i spit out do have some traces of blood...i'm afraid of wat might be causing this...please advice

[National Jewish]

Postnasal drip is drainage from the nose and sinuses dripping down the back of the throat.  This drainage could be from a number of reasons.  One is an allergic reaction to inhaling something.  A second reason is a nonallergic, noninfectious inflammation that could be lingering after the bad cold that you had a month ago.  A third reason is chronic sinusitis.  Postnasal drip can cause breathing difficulty as a result of irritation of the throat and lungs.  The traces of blood could also be from the irritation.  You may experience the postnasal drip as a constant feeling of phlegm at the back of your throat.  A nasal wash helps remove phlegm from the nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily reduce the postnasal drip and lessen breathing difficulty.  A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases nasal swelling and phlegm production.  This may prevent the postnasal drip and breathing difficulty.  To get the most out of a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective.  Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique.  Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.

Smoking could also aggravate your problem.  To help you to quit smoking, you may want to look at our Just Quit Online program at http://www.nationaljewish.org.  Also check with your doctor for other quit smoking resources in your area.