Im a 17 year old female, heavy smoker, and have had numerous chest infections in the past year, getting worse and worse but always treatable with antibiotics until my next infection. The past few days my breathing has been worse. Although I smoke, im pretty fit and healthy otherwise, and my normal resps/min is 15-17. However over the past 24 hours my resps have kept climbing, ive been too afraid to sleep and dont feel as though im getting enough oxygen, also my chest feels sticky in a way like I need to cough up mucus but nothings shifting. Ive got mild to moderate constant chest pain, (worse on inhalation) and resps/min are up to 26 now, at resting rate just lying down. Should I be worried or just lay off the ciggies for a while? I know I sound like a hyperchondriac, but im really not I just tend to have a lot of respiratory issues for some reason but im not registered at a GP because just moved to the countryside and none around, I just need to know if I should be concerned enough to take a trip to hospital or let someone around me know how I feel or something?
And I dont need a smoking lecture, it normally doesnt effect me ive had all my respiratory issues since long before I took up smoking and it really hasnt affected my chest, if anything when I try to give up my chest actually gets alot worse before it gets better.
Suggestion:
It sounds like a similar situation I was in. I was a heavy smoker (a year ago) and had annual hospital trips. The thing with me is that I have Asthma and it got worse usually around the middle of summer but it gets worse for different people.
It does sound like you'd been experiencing a mild asthma attack with a chest infection. If the mucus is yellowish/green (as you should know), then you should see the doctor (at a hospital). Heck, you should probably go to the doctor anyway and tell them what you've described here (that you might be asthmatic).
I'm not going to lecturer you about cigarettes because I've been there (the only reason I stopped was because I ran out of money).
I got it under control now, but before it was abit unbearable like I was going to die. I used to jog, take my inhaler and smoke at the same time!. Check out the symptoms of asthma and see if they fit with what you've experienced.
I'm not a doctor so its not definitive, if it doesn't fit with asthma, it could be Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The latter is more related to smoking so prehaps you should check that one out first.
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