Worth going to the doctor or no?

Posted by bretagne21 @bretagne21, 16 hours ago

I’ve felt extremely fatigued since last Thursday and ill since Sunday. I woke up Sunday with my chest feeling really tight and not being able to take deep breaths, and there would sometimes be wheezing. That progressed to a sore throat Monday and Tuesday with sore ears, body aches, extreme fatigue and all that fun stuff. I’m feeling better but now I have extremely thick, green mucus that I am constantly coughing up (sometimes streaked with blood but not very often) and I get tired easily when going for walks. I also have no voice and am only able to wheeze; I scared a lady half to death earlier when I tried ordering bread from the bakery. At first I thought it was allergies or a cold, then I wondered if it was COVID due to the chest pain, but I tested negative for that, so now I am wondering if this could possibly be bronchitis. My dad says I should go to the doctor, but I don’t want to go and be told that I just have a really bad cold. That would be a blow to my wallet and my sense of self-worth. So is rhis serious enough to warrant a doctor visit or should I keep on keeping on?

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Susan, Volunteer Mentor | @grammato3 | 14 hours ago

@bretagne21: thanks for coming to Mayo Clinic Connect. It's hard when you're not feeling 100% yet have to weigh that against the cost of seeking medical intervention. Even though you're feeling better, it sounds as though you've still got a pretty significant cough with green and blood tinged mucus. That's frequently a sign of infection. Plus you've been fatigued and have lost your voice. I think you may have answered your own question about this likely being more than an average cold.

There's no way to tell for sure if this is bronchitis or another type of respiratory infection but I doubt you want to run the risk of it getting worse, feeling more run down and ultimately costing you more money. You could definitely benefit from a medical evaluation and possibly a prescription or two depending upon the findings. Perhaps there's an urgent care facility that offers sliding scale services for payment near you?

Please circle back so I can hear how you're doing after you get some intervention.

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