bronchitis and asthma venting with questions

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. 

 

I got sick with the same cold that my entire family got the first week of January.  They all got better.  I keep going back to my primary care doctor.  I had a sinus infection and bronchitis.  After 3 rounds of different antibiotics, I think that the sinus infection is gone.  I just saw the doctor again today, and I still have the bronchitis and uncontrolled asthma.

 

I have had asthma for several years.  Twice in the past, I've used advair (in addition to albuterol).  This past week, I tried asmanex, and now I'm using advair 500 twice a day.  My doctor said that it should work within a week.

 

I am really sick of going back to this doctor.  Her assistant called me back today to tell me to come in today for more chest xrays.  I thought that was strange, because I had some done last week.  My husband is a nurse, and told me that it was a common thing to do, because someone can have a normal chest xray one day, and pneumonia the next.  Okay, fine, I went in.  She hadn't even looked at my chart to see that I'd had them done last week.  When I reminded her, she said, "Oh!  I guess that we don't need them after all!"  She then proceeded to listen to my breathing and repeat her earlier diagnoses of brochitis and uncontrolled asthma.  I paid $20 for this?!  So I begged her to change me from asmanex.  I didn't feel like it was helping at all.  In fact, I felt like it caused me to cough even more.

 

All that I do is cough and sleep.

 

I also have ulcerative colitis, and am flaring with that.

 

I broke my arm badly just before Christmas, and it finally healed.  I still don't have the range of motion that I would like with it, and it is still weak, but the orthopedist seems happy with it.  The last xray showed that the breaks are nearly healed.

 

Now that you know a brief history... what can I do about this coughing?  I feel really weak and tired, and my head has been hurting for a week.  I have been thinking about seeing a pulmonologist or an allergist.  Suggestions?

 

Thanks for reading this long post, and for any thoughts.

 

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