Q:

I got a really bad cold over the summer and was was coughing up a whole lot of yellow mucus. I coughed so much it was keeping me up at night and it lasted about a month and a half. Now for about 2 and a half weeks I am again coughing up a lot of yellow mucous and having some wheezing sounds come from my lungs sometimes, but have no other cold symptoms like before. I am a non smoker and don't feel like I have a whole lot of mucus in my sinuses...the presence of it in my lungs is a bit perplexing. A friend said maybe i have swine flu or am developing pneumonia. Do you have any insight to what's going on or if I should get it checked out?

 

A:

It does sound suspicious for pneumonia, so yes, you should come in to have your lungs listened to. It is possible to get a "walking pneumonia" that causes mucus in the airways, wheezing, productive cough without feeling horribly sick with high fevers. It is treatable with antibiotics and will go away faster with treatment. Call 650-3400 for a same day appointment.

~The Doc