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Suggest Treatment For Productive Cough

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Posted on Fri, 22 Aug 2014
Question: I was just told by my doctors office that my chest x ray showed a cloudy area. They are scheduling a CT. They told me it could be fluid since I've had a productive cough for 5 weeks or inflammation or a nodule. They said they all look about the same on a chest x ray. That is all I am being told for now. I have no idea the size or anything. Is this true? Will a CT give me more answers than the xray? The cough I have is productive but when I cough sometimes its so bad it makes me vomit.
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Answered by Dr. Shashi Dangwal (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
Get CT done as it will be more informative.

Detailed Answer:
Hello Crewstephanie,

Thanks for posting your query on HCM.

A cloudy area in a chest xray may be anything but mostly fluid in the pleural cavity shows as cloudy area. You could be having a pneumonic patch which has resulted in accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity called synpneumonic effusion.

Next course of action is to get a CT chest done as correctly advised by your doctor.

Yes CT chest gives more information than a x ray chest and may show up things not seen on x ray. So go ahead and get a CT done . Further course of action will be decided on CT report.

If you have any more queries, do post them and I`ll be glad to answer.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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Answered by
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Dr. Shashi Dangwal

Pulmonologist

Practicing since :1979

Answered : 1157 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Productive Cough

Brief Answer: Get CT done as it will be more informative. Detailed Answer: Hello Crewstephanie, Thanks for posting your query on HCM. A cloudy area in a chest xray may be anything but mostly fluid in the pleural cavity shows as cloudy area. You could be having a pneumonic patch which has resulted in accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity called synpneumonic effusion. Next course of action is to get a CT chest done as correctly advised by your doctor. Yes CT chest gives more information than a x ray chest and may show up things not seen on x ray. So go ahead and get a CT done . Further course of action will be decided on CT report. If you have any more queries, do post them and I`ll be glad to answer.