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Another Chest Infection

Just getting over yet another chest infection finished my 5th course of antibiotics since August last year.  Dont feel like the infection has cleared so likes back to the doctors again. Had blood tests and chest xray all fine and asthma test also which was fine, oxygen levels also fine.  The longest I have gone chest infection free since august is 7 weeks.  Does anybody have any ideas as to what is causing this????  Each time i get another infection it seems to be worse than the last, please help....
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Avatar universal
haha... Yes, I am in the US.  And I am dead set against NHS for the reason you state and many more.  When a doctor works for the gov instead of his patients, what does he care if the patients actually get well or not?  He will still get his pay check.  If they work for their patients and aren't doing a good job here, they get fired - ie start losing patients left and right until they have no practice left or get the message to take care of the patients and do their job (or they start working for certain HMO type groups).  

Another problem with NHS is that as time progresses there are fewer and fewer specialists because there is no incentive for becoming one or maintaining the higher level of education.  Then it takes longer and longer to get in to see a specialist.  My brother-in-law is from a country with NHS (now naturalized).  His mom was here visiting and started having some issues.  She had the money and could have been treated here.  She didn't want to spend the money when medical care was "free" at home.  She cut her trip short.  To make a long story short, a year later she finally got the treatment she needed, but the length of time to get it caused her to deteriorate to the point that they really couldn't help her.  She is now in a wheel chair for life.  I am sure that if she had known what it was really going to cost her for that "free" treatment, she would have chosen to pay out of pocket here.

I can list several other major problems with NHS, but I will stop.  The only good thing about it is that you have "free" or low cost medical care.  Just be careful what it will cost you in the long run.

I wish I could help you more with directions with how to navigate through NHS red tape to get the care you need, but I have no experience with that.  Just keep pushing to get what you need and take whatever course of action you have available also.   You do need to have the micro-organism causing your infection identified so that the propper, targetted antibiotic can be prescribed.  The best way to do that is through a bronchoscopy, but a sputum culture can be good also.  

Take care and I would love to be kept updated on your quest for healing and good care.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your reply, again.  I'm fed up of going to the doctors now they never do anything, i've had a few simple tests and thats it, they just give more antibiotics.... I see your from America, dont you have private health care insurance over there?  Here its the good old NHS, which yeah is great in a sense but sometimes very poor, they dont listen to anything you say just fob you of with tablets.  Don't know how many times i'm going to have to go back with this i'm sick of being sick.  How come you know so much you sound more of a doctor than my doctor lol.  

Thankyou for replying, again, hope i find answers soon.
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Avatar universal
You need to see a pulmonologist (lung specialist).  At a minimum a sputum sample needs to be evaluated.  You may need a bronchoscopy which would take a sample of the mucus and some tissue and then test it for what is causing your repeated infections.  

Praying for you to feel better and find answers.
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