chronic cough with green phlegm

[java]

I am a 39 year old female who has had asthma since birth.  I had a trach done when I was very young and spent some time in oxygen tents.  Growing up I had problems with allergies and asthma but came from a family that didn't go to the doctor so I just coped.  In my college years I occasionally used an inhaler that a nurse friend gave me.  I wheezed all the time but just considered it normal for me.  I cut out most dairy products about 15 yrs ago and noted a considerable improvement.  Since moving to a tropical country 5 yrs ago I have had more problems with asthma and have albuterol on hand when needed.  I have always had a cough (severity varies)and for at least the last few yrs it has included green sputum, sometimes turning to brown at which time I would take antibiotics.  Whenever I get sick with something it goes to my chest with a painful productive chest cough. My husband describes the cough as fluidy, as I cough up mucus. Two months ago I visited a gp regarding a neuritis and he commented on my cough.  At his recommendation I started pulmicourt: 1 puff daily which initially quieted the cough, but then it returned.  Because I live in an under-developed country, good medical care is not easy to get.  A nurse friend is adamant that green mucous is a sign of an infection and needs to be treated.  The gp said a type of white blood cell called an eosinophil is common in sputum of asthmatics & people with allergies & can cause green phlegm but no need to treat. Who is right? I took Zythromax for 5 days, chest pain & cough much better but still grn sputum. Please educate me

[National Jewish]

People with asthma can have green phlegm caused by bacterial or fungal infections.  However antibiotics would not help a fungal infection.  Antibiotics only help bacterial infections.  Doing a culture of your phlegm and a gram stain to check your phlegm for bacteria and a white blood cell count would tell if your green phlegm is due to a bacterial infection.

Pulmicort Turbuhaler® (budesonide inhalation powder) is very good medical care for asthma.  Generally this controls asthma is very well.  However while you were using the Pulmicort Turbuhaler® (budesonide inhalation powder) your cough returned.  You may need a totally different treatment to keep your lungs healthy.  A pulmonologist would be the type of specialist to identify if some other lung problem is causing your chronic cough with green phlegm and the best treatment.  I hope that there is some way for you to be seen by a lung specialist soon.

[starion]

I am 46 years old & have severe COPD (diagnosed 4 years ago); my pulmo's opinion is that my discolored sputum ALWAYS needs to be treated until the sputum is clear or white again.  Sometimes this requires long courses of antibiotics--weeks or months.  For me, the "regular" course of antibiotics never is sufficient to get rid of the discolored mucous or infection, so we tend to treat much longer--often 15-22 days.  Some infections take months--I'm currently taking 6 months of Biaxin XL 1000mg/day for a mycoplasma infection.

Is there any way you could go to SOMEWHERE to get a GOOD, THOROUGH medical evaluation of your lung condition?  Infections can worsen our lung function & cause other problems.  When I have an infection, it makes me have a harder time breathing, so we are very aggressive in immediately treating the 1st sign of any infection.

Different infections also respond differently to different antibiotics & sometimes the doctor may need to try several before he finds the one most effective in treating your infection.  Biaxin and Avelox are the antibiotics which have been the most effective with my respiratory infections.

Best of luck!
Aloha,
Starion

[java]

Thanks for the info.  When I was in the states 2 years ago I did see an asthma/allergist because I had experienced a few scarey asthma attacks and wanted to know what course of action I should take when something like that happened overseas with no good dr. around.  The Dr. wrote up a plan for me, for which I was very grateful.  He also did an allergy scratch test of which 25 out of 27 pricks responded with a 4-4+.  He told me I'm a very allergic person (which I already knew)

My cough is still much under control since the Z-pack, just wondering about the color.  The more I educate myself the more I realize I was foolish not to have controlled my asthma all these years.  I do exercise regularly, and have for the past 5+ yrs, so that has to be a mark in my favor.  :-)

This past year I feel like I'm falling apart.  I was diagnosed with GERD, which I'm having a hard time controlling, in January I was sick with a viral infection that left me with a neuritis, ...ugh  Is this what happens when you turn 40? :-)

Thanks again for your response, best wishes to you.

[edna470]

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