Hi, I recently quit smoking when I became sick back in October, and have been sick on and off to this date. I have been a smoker of both cigarettes and cannibis for years, and my father died of lung cancer in 97. Around Thanksgiving I developed a hacking cough and produced fresh blood in my phlegm. I saw a pulmonary doctor and he diagnosed me with bronchitis, he took a chest x-ray and said my lungs were fine, but didn't order a CT scan b/c I was rattling, and said he wouldn't unless I was still coughing up blood after my bronchitis clears. He put me on 12 day steroid treatment & a hydrocodone syrup, but the meds bloated me and I developed horrible pains under my right rib cage, and chest pains. I stopped the steroids short of two days, at the suggestion of my regular physician, who gave me prevacid, when that didn't help my pains, he ordered a sonogram and that was fine. I saw my pulmonary again, he said my chest pains are from coughing, I was still producing lots of mucous, white thick, some yellow, plus brown/rusty speckled phlegm. He took another chest x-ray for comparison, said it was fine, just like the first time. He told me the brown specks are "old blood", he gave me a 5 day steroid treatment, which I finished well over a week ago - I do feel better but I am still coughing up "old blood" and I am extremely worried.
Should I get a second opinion, CT scan, other tests??? Someone told me, that my lungs are clearing out all tar & impurities because I stopped smoking. Can this be the reason for the brown specks? Nervous Wreck myk