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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
low grade bacterial bronchitis?
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis.
low grade bacterial bronchitis?
by debtman7, Dec 07, 2004 12:00AM
Hi,
I have been a 1/2 a pack a day smoker for a little under 4 years. After a cold a month ago I began experiencing shortness of breath. I was on a 14 day course of ceftin for sinus/ear infection following that cold and was feeling ok by the end, but still somewhat short of breath. 2 days after finishing the ceftin, the shortness of breath became more severe and my lungs were burning and feeling irritated. I went out and bought nicotine patches and have been smoke free ever since, 12 days ago.
The first day after quitting smoking I developed a productive cough, not severe but maybe 2-3 coughing spells a day that brought up brown clumps of gunk. I had read that after quitting, shortness of breath and a productive cough is normal. However this continued and a few days ago when I went for my allergy shot, they noticed my temperature was at 99.1 (I am normally 97.5). Also routine bloodwork from the previous week showed an elevated white cell count. The doctor asked if I'd been feeling ok, and I mentioned that I was still short of breath and had been feeling a little tired and weak lately. He heard some air trapping, said the white cell count pointed to bacterial infection and gave me 400mg of Tequin for 5 days.
I'm wondering if this sounds plausible. Typically I think bacterial infections tend to make you feel very bad, and I have just been feeling a little run down. Also it concerns me that this has been going on for a month and survived a 14 days of ceftin. Is it possible to have a mild bacterial bronchitis? Having just quit smoking, I am wondering if I waited to long...
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Dec 31, 2004 12:00AM
, Dec 31, 2004 12:00AM
You probably had a chest cold or pneumonia, but one shouldn't assume that. Bacterial bronchitis should have subsided by now. A bacterial infection doesn’t always make you feel very bad.
It is unusual to have shortness of breath, especially for weeks after the first cold symptoms, unless your nose remains completely or nearly completely plugged. If you are still the least bit short of breath, a doctor should examine you again. This should include a thorough exam of all respiratory structures and a chest x-ray. If your chest x-ray is clear but you are still short of breath, you should have a lung scan and pulmonary function tests. These tests would check for other breathing problems that would be treated differently.
Congratulations, you have made a wise decision to stop smoking! You may want to look at our Quit Smoking Topic Center at http://www.nationaljewish.org/topic/smoking_cessation.html for ways to help you stay smoke free. Also check with your doctor for other quit smoking resources in your area.
In the healthy lung there are small hair-like projections called cilia that clean the lungs by moving mucus up and out. Smoking paralyzes this cleaning system. When you quit smoking your lungs began to recover from the inflammation caused by close to 4 years of smoking. Most likely this inflammation is causing your productive cough. Coughing up mucus is a good sign. It shows that this cleaning system is working again. When you were smoking this mucus would just stay in your lungs. As long as you have quit smoking before there has been permanent damage to your lungs then you will get better as the cleaning system cleans your lungs. This may take up to a year after you stop smoking.
It is unusual to have shortness of breath, especially for weeks after the first cold symptoms, unless your nose remains completely or nearly completely plugged. If you are still the least bit short of breath, a doctor should examine you again. This should include a thorough exam of all respiratory structures and a chest x-ray. If your chest x-ray is clear but you are still short of breath, you should have a lung scan and pulmonary function tests. These tests would check for other breathing problems that would be treated differently.
Congratulations, you have made a wise decision to stop smoking! You may want to look at our Quit Smoking Topic Center at http://www.nationaljewish.org/topic/smoking_cessation.html for ways to help you stay smoke free. Also check with your doctor for other quit smoking resources in your area.
In the healthy lung there are small hair-like projections called cilia that clean the lungs by moving mucus up and out. Smoking paralyzes this cleaning system. When you quit smoking your lungs began to recover from the inflammation caused by close to 4 years of smoking. Most likely this inflammation is causing your productive cough. Coughing up mucus is a good sign. It shows that this cleaning system is working again. When you were smoking this mucus would just stay in your lungs. As long as you have quit smoking before there has been permanent damage to your lungs then you will get better as the cleaning system cleans your lungs. This may take up to a year after you stop smoking.
