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Chronic Bronchitis

01/13/2011

Question:

Firstly, I am a 63 yr old female and a non smoker. For the past 6-7 years (maybe more) i have been getting `more frequently` post nasal drainage that `always` leads to a scratchy sore throat that seems to promote a tickling sensation that causes an involuntary cough. The cough persists and leads to hoarseness which then sounds deeper like a whooping cough. My drainage persists and causes congestion and after a couple of days every time i exhale i wheeze or have this similiar sound to a cat`s meowing. Also, i have an annoying tickling in my ears and in my lower left lung/rib cage and mucus that`s very hard to cough up. It`s always this scenario and i have been on amoxicillin several times in the past few years. I usually don`t have a fever but i feel bad and my energy level is down. When i go to my dr they always say my chest sounds ok… but can see my ear drum looks swollen. In all these years i have never been told that i have Bronchitis but have been told that i have sinusitis. For a few days now my eyes and forehead do feel very sore with uncomfortable pressure due to the persistent cough. Does this sound like Bronchitis or Sinusitis??

If this is bronchitis… is a person more susceptible to getting it after they`ve had it a couple of times? Also, I don`t know if this is important but shortness of breath `does not` accompany my symptoms.
Please… any help you can offer me will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so kindly.

Answer:

Thank you for visiting NetWellness. On this site, we try to answer general questions about lung disease, but cannot diagnose or recommend treatment. You appear to have some very specific questions about your illness, which can only be answered properly by a physician who is familiar with your history, physical exam, and test results. Your physician may want to do further x-rays of your chest or sinuses to help determine the cause of your symptoms. Take care.  

For more information:

Go to the COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) health topic.