Why do some infections "move" while others stay put?

[jdurg]

This past weekend I was blessed with the experience of a sinus infection. I've had numerous sinus infections before, but this one is a bit strange. Typically, I get the sinus congestion, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, and expulsion of green mucus. This time, I got all of that which eventually went away, but now a cough is forming. Over the past couple of days, the sinus problems have gone away but now I keep hacking up this green-yellow mucus when I cough. It looks as if the infection has moved from my sinuses to my lungs. Why is this? I haven't done anything differently with this sinus infection, but it seems to have migrated on me. How come some infections do this, while other times they die where they begin?

[BenSon]

This is how it was explained to me, sometimes when your body is fighting an infection it can kill enough of it quickly enough that if it spreads theres not enough of it to start up again once it has moved so you dont notice it cuz your body deals with it quickly. Sometime your body can't kill enough and the infection moves on and now your immune system has to fight two infection sites rather then one and the chance of it spreading again are even greater. Thats why when an infection spreads it tends to spread a few times before you can take it down. As for mucus do you smoke? that can make things worse it sucks having to resist smokes while your sick...

 

~Scott

[jdurg]

I used to smoke, but I quit about 5 months ago.

[BenSon]

Yeah quitting is seriously hard, I've done it a few times this is currently attempt number three

 

~Scott