Mystery Lung Disorder and Other complications

[sick_girl]

Hi,

I am a 22 year old female, non smoker. I have had a persistent cough now approaching 2 months. At first these coughs would come in fits just at night with absolutely no other symptoms. These coughs were dry and caused me chest pains and breathing difficulties. Eventually my cough would produce slight phlegm, but I would always be unable to cough it up. After going to the emergency after a coughing fit in the day time after dinner, I was told that my lungs were fine, however, I could have whooping cough with an asthmatic component. The doctor gave me a puffer, prescribed me an antibiotic and told me that if the coughing persisted after 3 days of taking the antiobiotic, I should see my family doctor. The antibiotic did not resolve the coughing, but the puffer helped with my coughing fits that also included wheezing and a whistling sound in my lungs. I saw my family physician who told me that this could be an allergy or whooping cough and to come back in three weeks for a pertussis vaccine and a chest xray. I have now had a chest xray that my doctor says is flawless, and will be visiting a respirologist next week. My family doctor advises that I get my pertussis vaccine and have blood tests done at the respirologist’s office, since my family doctor is in another city and I am unable to visit him any time soon.  Since meeting with my family doctor about 3 weeks ago, I was able to spit up phlegm and sometimes, if I blew hard enough, release mucus from my nose. In both cases, mucus showed up as brownish yellow pieces.. one day I even coughed up a hard, pebble-sized piece of mucus that was fleshy in colour.  

Two days ago, I started to experience pain in my throat when I swallowed.. the next day I felt all the classic flu symptoms: sweats, weakness, body aches, throbbing headache and now excessive mucus secretion from my sinuses as well as sinus pain and congestion. For one day I was blowing very drippy mucus out of my nose every 4 or 5 minutes, consisting of 1) the brownish yellow mucus I have been coughing in the past, 2) plain white, thick mucus, and finally 3) never before seen peach-coloured mucus as well. Currently, mucus is not as excessive or drippy as it was for that one day.  

I am really scared that this is a permanent thing. What concerns me most is this asthmatic component to my coughing. I need to use my puffer twice a day to avoid coughing fits and breathing difficulties. I haven’t been able to smell or taste my food fully for the past two months, even though my nose wasn’t always congested.