Good luck. I know how difficult it has been for you.
Thank you for your input. Feel better now about using betadine in my nasal wash solutions. Will look into 5% Lugol's solution, and (ugh) oil of oregano.
Your doctors should take some refresher courses and take another look at that white sticky stuff. What you describe is a classic Candida albicans infestation. That is a fungus. One of its favorite foods is antibiotics. It also loves prednisone. inhaled steroids, sugar and starches. So the antibiotics are making your condition worse.
I have COPD. I also developed candidiasis which was undiagnosed by the "experts" (after four days of tests at a very prestigious hospital). I don't know how aggressive a person you are, but you have to get these "experts" to listen to you. (I almost died. You don't need to go through that.)
I am a researcher/writer so I researched my problem and found the correct diagnosis (it helped that I have been in and around the medical community all my life). I bought 5% Lugol's solution (potassium iodide) and took one drop a day in a little water. When I started to get better I increased the dosage because I knew I was on the right track. I went to my GP who is a very clever fellow and told him what I had done. He supported me and gave me advice and guidance. I added oil of oregano. Terrible stuff but it works, I also added a little isotonic saline to the albuterol in the nebulizer to help with my breathing.
Here is something to be careful of. Your doctors will tell you that candida is always present in the body and is benign. Not actually true. Candida, which starts out as a yeast, under favorable conditions (favorable to candida, that is) evolves to a fungus, multiplies furiously and becomes a dangerous pathogen. It can invade every organ in your body. If the lungs are involved the mortality can be high.
If they agree to treat you for candida they will want to give you a fungicide. The fungicide may cause a dramatic improvement for a few days, but by the end of two weeks mutations will take over and you are back where you started. Also sometimes the so-called fungicide does not work at all. And the side effects can be very nasty.
Iodine, on the other hand, kills all pathogens, bacteria, fungi, mutations and whatever else is lying around.