Worried about lungs and no healthcare

[Blobfish]

Hi Everyone,

So ever since I got a nasty bout of pneumonia about a year ago my lungs really haven't been right. I've had three other (doctor confirmed) bouts of pneumonia and countless mini infections where i have a fever, lose my voice, have a violent cough bringing up yellow/green phlegm and trouble breathing. In between these I bring up blood, lose my breath easily and when I inhale and exhale deeply it really hurts. I've also developed a loud wheeze when I exhale deeply and when i'm lying down there is sometimes a very noticeable rattle when I breathe until I cough and then it turns back into a wheeze.

I've been to the doctor who keeps giving me antibiotics which seem a short term solution at best. I also had an X-Ray which didn't show anything. Which reassured me for a bit but then I read that all the really nasty things that can happen sometimes don't show up on X-rays.

The problem is I am currently living on a working visa here and don't have access to free healthcare. The doctor wants me to see a lung specialist but I really can't afford that.

The doctor has said it's unlikely to be cancer at my age (i'm 30) but I know it's not impossible. When you're spitting up blood into the sink or coughing so hard that there's tears streaming down your face it's really hard not to freak out and work yourself into a panic.

I don't know what I want. Maybe one of you guys to say "oh that, that's just a whatever and it's harmless" or something. Do I take our a loan to get my lungs looked at properly? Do I just ignore it for another 10 more months (when I move back home and to free healthcare!)? Do I just need to calm the heck down?

Any help, advice, and reassurance would be greatly appreciated because i'm kinda panicking here.

Thank you, kind people.

[ankietyjoe]

That's a tricky situation.

One thing I will say is that I had pneumonia a few years ago and also coughed up blood. At the time I called an ambulance and the paramedic told me that you can easily bust a blood vessel when you cough hard, it's very common. This was confirmed by the specialist at the hospital. It's more common in men who have more powerful cough reflexes.

More recently (last year) I had the same bad virus that everybody else seemed to have and was coughing a great deal again. This has lasted for months (I still have the cough now) and I have been told that it's almost like a vicious circle where coughing causes aggravation to the airways, which causes more coughing, which causes more coughing etc.