Summer cold but worse...very hard to even breath

[Saltheart]

I was talking to a friend about 2 weeks ago who said she and many she knew had been suffering from something like a summer cold. She specifically mentioned how hard it was to breath and that some of her friends had made the "just in case" trip to the ER.

Well of course 3 days later I start getting something and withing 5 days I am waking up at night sitting on the side of the bed gasping for air. It seemed to start getting better then it came back hard on Sat and Sunday. I was too dizzy to drive myself to the ER and did find that sitting up almost immediately allowed me to breath enough to survive.

Well monday I was up early and at my Primary Care guys office before the doors even upened. He ended up saying I had an infection in the bronchials or lungs an was gurgling and weasing like I had pneumonia. He gave me some broad spectrum antibiotics and a "rescue" inhaler. I have to go back in 3 weeks.

Now what I am curious about is that this friend told me "everybody" she knew was getting it but the doctor said no, there had not been a run of people with it as is the usual case when a cold or flu virus is around.

Anybody have anything like this the last month or so? The big distinguishing factor is the extreme trouble breathing. If you had it , you know what I mean.

The antibiotics seem to have broken up the fluid etc in the chest and I periodically cough up exorcism juice. I'm still worried though because after 4 days on the antibiotics , although much improved , I still seem to have cotton in the lower third of my lungs.

So if anybody had this , pleae post and tell me what you did to get rid of it.

Thanks