Brief Answer:
About bronchitis

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,

It is likely that the stress of the surgery made your cold worse.

Bronchitis is inflammation (usually from infection) of the bronchi (airways that branch into your lungs) and it can be caused by a virus or bacteria. If you are coughing up yellow sputum, not just when you get up in the morning, then there is likely a bacterial component to the infection. That doesn't mean that the problem is primarily bacterial but that bacteria can colonize the secretions a bit.

Now - about whether to take the antibiotic or not. The most recent recommendations are to not use an antibiotic for bronchitis unless it has gone on for more 3 weeks OR is complicated by something else.

You might find this article useful: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/297108-clinical

But you have a fever, and usually fever plus cough is either influenza (which is viral and antibiotics won't work) or pneumonia (which can be bacterial and we usually give an antibiotic for it, if we see pneumonia on chest X-ray or hear it when listening to the lungs on exam).

Your fevers range low grade to high. A fever of 101.4 is a real fever.

So, if your symptoms appear to be getting worse, especially if the fever is increasing, or you have shortness of breath, then yes, it would be reasonable to take the azithromycin.

I think you may have made a typo in writing Metamucil DM because as far as I know, Metamucil is not in the business of treating coughs - are they? The DM means dextromethorphan, which is a cough suppressant.

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Brief Answer:
Guaifenesin + water

Detailed Answer:
Without the advantage of listening to you, it is hard for me to say exactly, but if mucus is trapped and you can't get it out, it can make this sound. Without listening with a stethescope, I can't say whether this is from upper airways or lower airways.

Consider taking guaifenessin along with a lot of water to help thin the secretions so you can get them out easier. You can get this at any drug store. Mucinex is one brand of it.

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Brief Answer:
Some information:

Detailed Answer:
Steam may help a bit - you'll have to see. Drink plenty of water.

If you feel as though your airways aren't opening up and you are having wheezing, a bronchodilator inhaler may be needed. This would be by prescription and likely a doctor should listen to your lungs again.

It doesn't matter whether we call this pneumonia - a Z pack can be used to treat pneumonia. But if you are getting worse, then you should go back in to see what is going on.

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