Bronchitis or Asthma?

I have had a problem with catching colds for over a year and half now. I catch a cold (from my toddler son) aout every couple of months. I was told initially it was allergies & am under immunotherapy. However, I know these are colds not allergies (I have dealt with allergies all of my life).

My question is re: the cough that always accompanies these colds...which I am told is asthma. My pattern is like this: Day 1 start with sore throat & then stuffy nose. By day two  a lot of thick yellow and/or green post nasal drip. Day 3 start with chest tightness and my chest hurts (a raw feeling) when I cough. Not much mucus when I cough...it is usually thick yellow sometimes a little green, worse in the am. Mucus in my nose & chest usually clears up in a couple of days but then I am left with a dry cough & chest tightness for about 2 weeks. During this time I usually go up on my Adviar (to 250, sometimes 500 for a day or two if really bad). I generally do not have wheezing nor do I have "attacks". It's just a constant dry cough with chest tightness & some pain when I cough that seems to linger for a couple of weeks. It happens everytime I get a cold...no matter how mild the nasal symptoms are it settles in my chest. My question is: does this sound like asthma or could it be bronchitis...how do you tell the difference as it seems some people I talk to are treated for bronchitis & it sounds similar to my problem.

Thank you

Thank you.

[National Jewish]

It is possible that you have a chronic sinus problem that gets activated each time you get a cold from your child.  This proceeds to activate your asthma.  This is a very common problem in asthmatics.  I would suggest a CT scan of the sinuses.  If there is inflammation/infection present appropriate therapy may help in avoiding the symptoms you are describing.