Dealing with a cough, fever, chest pain, and loss of appetite... help!

Hey everyone,
So, look—on Friday I was feeling 100% fine, totally healthy, zero symptoms to speak of. Then Saturday morning rolls around and suddenly I’m coughing my lungs out along with this chest pain. It’s a productive cough, but honestly? I can’t actually get anything up because the phlegm is way too thick, and frankly, I’ve never been particularly good at coughing stuff up anyway. My temperature stays normal in the mornings, but by the afternoon and evening, I’m hitting somewhere between 99 and 100 degrees. It’s not steady, either—it just fluctuates wildly. Like, right now I feel feverish, but an hour ago I felt perfectly okay. I went to see my doctor today and she prescribed some Fluimukan to help clear things out, plus she wants me to go get blood work done. Here’s the thing: I’ve always had issues with this specific type of cough, and every single time she runs blood tests, everything comes back completely normal. She’s leaning toward it being pneumonia, but since she hasn't managed to land a correct diagnosis in the five years I've been seeing her, I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of heading into a hospital just to catch some other random bug.
Sorry for the long rant, thanks in advance.

Giving everyone an update. Just clocked my temp at 101.1, though I’m not entirely sure if it’s spot on since I wasn't using a direct reading—it was some kind of infrared sensor thing. I’m actually thinking about heading to a private clinic tomorrow to get some bloodwork done, because honestly, our local hospital feels more like a slaughterhouse than a medical facility. Still, I'm curious—based on the symptoms I mentioned, what exactly are you all suspicious of? And what are you trying to imply?

P.S. Just realized my palms and the soles of my feet feel burning hot too.

Look, if your doctor hasn't been able to help you after five different visits, you really need to go get a second opinion—just find someone else...

I’m a total amateur when it comes to this stuff, obviously, but if your bloodwork came back totally clean, is it even possible that there's some kind of foreign object stuck in your lungs? Something that just won't let them work right and keeps triggering that constant coughing fit...
You'd definitely have to run that by a professional since I don't know the first thing about medicine, but I can drop a link here where I saw something similar...

Choking or coughing shows up in about 95% of patients who have aspirated a foreign object into their trachea. You also commonly see stridor if the object is lodged in the upper airways or the top part of the trachea. It can manifest as shortness of breath, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, or wheezing.

The link mentions what kind of tests you should probably look into...

What kind of tests?

- ESR, a full blood count,
- Chest and heart X-rays (PA and lateral views), maybe an X-ray of the neck from the side too,
- A CT scan of the chest (especially if there's a foreign object that doesn't show up on a standard X-ray),
- Bronchoscopy (that endoscopic technique where they use a tube to go down into the airways)

Again, I'm a complete novice here, so please don't take this as gospel... just talk to your doctor about these possibilities.
And honestly, you shouldn't rule out food allergies or something in the air either...

You totally misread me—it’s not like I’ve been coughing nonstop for five years straight, I just have really sensitive lungs. Every single year, I end up getting hit with something—either a cough or a nasty sore throat—and over this five-year stretch (if you can believe my doctor), she hasn't actually managed to nail down a diagnosis once. She just keeps sending me off for blood work. The only reason I’m posting here is because, unlike my usual bouts, I’ve got this persistent fever that won't quit (it's been three days now) and she mentioned she's starting to suspect pneumonia. What do you guys think: should I go ahead with the blood tests or just stay in bed for a few more days?

Brandon Brown35 said:You totally misunderstood me. I haven't been coughing for five years straight; I just have chronic lung issues. Every single year, I get sick at least once—either a cough or a sore throat—and over those last five years (according to my doctor), she hasn't actually managed to pin down a diagnosis. She just keeps sending me for blood work. The only reason I’m posting here is that, unlike my other symptoms, I've had this persistent fever for three days now, and she mentioned she suspects pneumonia. What do you guys suggest: should I go get my blood drawn or just wait it out for a few more days?

Get a referral for a pulmonologist. You really ought to get a spirometry test and some allergy testing done. Honestly, it sounds like you might be an asthmatic where an infection triggers a reaction to allergens because your membranes are so irritated.
My daughter deals with the exact same thing. In just ten months, she fought off atypical pneumonia twice, even though her inflammatory markers were barely elevated. Her bronchi tighten up, she can't clear the mucus, and then that gunk settles deep in her lungs and everything goes south.
If things take a turn for the worse—like if you're gasping for air or the fever spikes—get to the ER immediately. If you're in the city, head straight to Mount Sinai.
Ask your doctor about Ventolin or a steroid aerosol. Fluimukan works wonders. Pick up a compressor or ultrasonic nebulizer and use it 3 to 4 times a day. Also, rinse your nasal passages with a saline spray 2 or 3 times daily. Look up how to do that properly on YouTube.
If you aren't planning on doing full allergy panels anytime soon, ask your doctor for an antihistamine like Aerius. It'll give you a very quick indication of whether allergens are the culprit or not.

Brandon Brown35 said:You misunderstood me. I haven't been coughing for five years straight; I just have lung issues. Every year I get hit with something—a cough or a sore throat—and over those last five years (according to my doctor), she’s never actually nailed down a diagnosis. She just keeps sending me for blood work. The only reason I'm posting here is because I've never had this kind of persistent fever (it's been three days now) along with the usual symptoms, and she mentioned she suspects pneumonia. What should I do: go get the blood work done or just wait it out for a few more days?

Go get the blood work done.

If I'm following you correctly, you've been sick a few times over five years, dealt with some coughing, and now you're panicking? It's flu season. Everyone is talking about four different strains of the flu and all sorts of viruses going around. Around here, people are dropping like flies, getting knocked out for a week with high fevers. There are stomach bugs everywhere too; I feel like I hear about someone having a brutal sore throat every single day.

I don't get the drama. So what if you catch something once a month and your doctor doesn't find anything major? If she ran blood tests every time and everything came back fine, and you didn't follow up, what was she supposed to diagnose?
Getting sick, coughing, dealing with sinus infections or a stomach bug two or three times a year is completely normal. If your immune system is strong, you breeze through it. If it isn't, well, life happens. That doesn't mean something is fundamentally broken or that you need to freak out. The issue would be if this was happening every single month, like a constant cycle of infection.

It might be because I tend to get hit by these bugs pretty often—it seems like my immune system just takes a dive every other month—but back when I had my lung scan two years ago, everything came back totally clear. No obstructions, no nothing, just healthy lungs according to the docs. And it’s not like I can’t cough it up; it’s more that the mucus gets so thick that it’s a struggle to actually move it. I haven't really dealt with anything as extreme as shortness of breath or feeling like I'm suffocating, though. Just the fever. Actually, it dropped quite a bit last night after I posted that message, so I didn't have it hanging over me all evening. I doubt it's allergies either, since I don't get sick during any specific season. Last time I was under the weather was basically at the start of summer.

melloworca6, you actually calmed me down a bit there, haha. It felt weird because usually, I don't run a fever when I get sick, so my mind immediately jumped to that bronchitis I had a few years back—plus, the doctor mentioned it could be a viral pneumonia.

Brandon Brown35 said:It’s possible this happens because I catch these bugs pretty frequently, but when I had my lung scan two years ago, everything came back clean—no obstructions, nothing, just healthy lungs. And it’s not like I can’t cough it up; it’s more that the mucus is just too thick for me to clear out easily. I’ve never dealt with extreme symptoms like shortness of breath or feeling like I'm suffocating; I mostly just get a fever, though it actually dropped quite a bit last night after that message, so I didn't have it all evening. I doubt it's allergies since I don't get sick during any specific season. The last time I was under the weather was early summer.

melloworca6, you’ve actually calmed me down a bit, haha. It just felt weird because I don't usually run a fever when I get sick, so my first thought was that it was the bronchitis I had a few years back, especially since the doctor mentioned it might be viral pneumonia.

Allergens are everywhere. Dust mites, mold spores, pollen, food—it doesn't matter what time of year it is, and it doesn't always show up as the typical runny nose, watery eyes, or sneezing.
I’m suggesting this based on my own firsthand experience with my daughter, because she fights off every single virus with thick mucus and a lingering cough about twice a month, so that’s why I’m bringing it up. If this keeps happening to you, make sure you get a spirometry test. An X-ray won't catch everything. As for the choking sensation, she was just breathing rapidly, and her oxygen saturation was dropping to 84%. She was breathing, but there was so much mucus blocking the way that oxygen couldn't reach her lungs. She ended up straight in the ICU on oxygen, where they spent four days aggressively draining her lungs and running nebulizers.

So, I’m currently going through the whole routine—taking Fluimukan, drinking tea, using saline nasal spray, the works—but I just can't seem to clear this cough. It's frustrating. I can feel that there's something stuck in there, like something's lingering deep down, but nothing is coming up. I managed to hack up maybe two or three things, but after that, it's just... nothing.

Try using a steamer or an inhaler to help thin out all that mucus. You should probably head to the clinic to get some blood work done, too. Maybe ask someone at home to give you a back massage to help loosen everything up so you can cough it out easier—just look up a quick tutorial on YouTube to see the best technique. Honestly, catching a virus a few times a year is pretty standard, especially if you've got little kids running around the house.

I'm not totally sure about the allergy thing, especially right now. There isn't much in the air (and I don't mean dust or mites, obviously), but it’s not really common for an adult to suddenly develop allergies out of nowhere, especially when everyone else is dealing with seasonal bugs.

As for me, I was down for the count for about a week with a nasty cough and a stuffed-up nose. My boyfriend, though, had a fever hitting 102°F for ten straight days. It would drop for a bit and then spike right back up to 102°F. He was struggling with coughing and sinus pressure too, just couldn't clear his chest. He stuck to Fluimukan and some DayQuil, plus used some nasal spray. He's doing fine now. We didn't bother going in for blood tests. 🍿

mellowharbor84 said:I’m not so sure about the allergy angle, especially right now. There just aren't any seasonal allergens floating around—and I’m not talking about dust mites or whatever. It’s pretty rare for an adult to suddenly develop an allergy out of nowhere just a few times a year, particularly when everyone else is busy dealing with the flu season.

Look, the reality is that the underlying allergy is always there; it's just that once your mucous membranes are irritated and compromised by a viral infection, they overreact to things that a healthy, mucus-protected system would have ignored entirely.
Take mold spores, for example. They’re thriving right now in those overly insulated, airtight, heated suburban homes. So many people are drying their laundry indoors, which basically acts like fertilizer for mold growth.
So yeah, it's not really that black and white.

So, I’m going to start using an inhaler and dealing with this constant hacking—it's getting old. My biggest worry is that I can't actually cough anything up, so I'm kind of terrified it might just settle deeper in my chest. Hopefully, this Fluimukan does the trick and clears things out.

Brandon Brown35 said:Hey everyone,
It’s a strange thing how quickly everything can shift. On Friday, I felt like I was in peak condition—not a single symptom to my name. Then Saturday morning rolls around, and suddenly I’m dealing with this persistent cough paired with chest pains. It’s the kind of productive cough that feels useless because whatever is stuck in there is too thick to actually move, and frankly, I’ve never been particularly good at coughing things up anyway. My temperature stays pretty unpredictable; I’ll wake up feeling fine, but by the afternoon or evening, it climbs to somewhere between 99 and 100 degrees. It isn't a steady fever, either—it just flickers on and off. One minute I’m feeling perfectly normal, and an hour later, the heat is back. I went to see my doctor today, and she prescribed some Fluimukan to help loosen things up, along with an order for some blood work. The frustrating part is that I’ve struggled with this specific type of cough before, and every time she runs these tests, the results come back completely normal. It feels like a bit of a loop. I’m curious to hear if anyone else has dealt with symptoms that feel like this, or if you have any insight into what might be going on. She mentioned that she was throwing it her way. I’ve got pneumonia, but to be honest, I’m not exactly itching to head back to the hospital. After five years of seeing her and still never getting a straight diagnosis, I’ve lost a bit of faith in the process. I’m just not in the mood to go sit in a waiting room only to pick up some other bug while I'm there.
My apologies for the delay in getting back to you; I appreciate your patience.

So, are you dealing with those tonsils? You know, the tonsillitis situation?
I have a feeling this might be heading toward strep throat... maybe even one of those nasty cases with the pus and everything.
If you haven't gone through with a tonsillectomy yet, there’s a good chance you're still dealing with those bouts of inflammation popping up every now and then.
Whether you're dealing with a bacterial infection or a viral one can be a bit of a toss-up without the right data. Before you jump headfirst into any kind of medication or treatment plan, I’d suggest having a quick word with your doctor. It might be worth asking them to schedule a throat swab right there at the clinic before they draw your blood next time, just so you aren't left guessing which direction to take.
First, we really need to determine whether we're dealing with a bacterial infection or if this is just some pathetic little virus making its rounds.

While you're stuck in that waiting game for your test results to come back, you might want to try keeping things comfortable with some homemade remedies—think brewing up some marshmallow root or sage tea to sip on, gargling, or even just breathing in the steam from a hot mug.
Once those lab results finally land in your inbox, you’ll have a much clearer idea of whether you actually need to book an appointment with an ENT specialist or if it’s just a matter of tightening up your hand hygiene and giving your immune system a bit more support.

In any case, keeping everything we’ve discussed above in mind, you also have to account for the fact that everyone seems to be coming down with a nasty bout of the flu right now, along with some pretty miserable colds going around.
I’ve been completely outmaneuvering her for three weeks straight now.
The symptoms were almost indistinguishable from what I’ve dealt with before, but I have to admit, this was easily the most grueling cold I’ve ever had to endure.
Well, let's see...
There's really no need to spiral into a panic over this.
Just take some fever reducers to bring that temperature down, crawl under the covers, and just nurse yourself back to health with endless cups of tea.
🙂

I haven't even gone in for blood work yet—might head to the clinic later this week if I don't start feeling better. My fever finally broke and I've actually got an appetite again, it's just this damn phlegm I can't seem to shake.

It’s all gonna work out fine, man. Just gotta hang in there and try not to spiral. You got this.