@tshubby , Hello John. Thank you for the update on your wife. They should have her sputem results ready by her next appt in eight weeks. If she doesn't already have a prescription for 7% sodium chloride, you may want to have her call her doctor and ask about it. It is a nebulized saline solution that really works wonders on helping to bring stuff up out of the lungs. It works by three ways. (1) it irritates the lungs just enough to induce deep cough (2) it moistens the phlegm to thin it; bringing it up easier (3) has anti-inflammatory properties. Many of us on this site are not infected at the moment, but, use this as a daily cleanse. It is also a good preventative measure in that it keeps the mucous thin so that it is not such a good environment for bacteria to take up residence. We wish your wife the best, please keep us posted on how she is doing. Maybe, when she is feeling better, she may want to get online with us.