was sent home with a new inhaler and instructions to medicate myself like the nineteenth century on account of my lungs sounding terrible.

My sister had similar a couple of weeks ago when she was sent for a check-up from the asthma clinic at the local hospital by the nurse practioner at her GP's. The clinic nurse decided her thermometer was probably wrong when it reported she was running a temperature of 42C (107.6F), but thought she sounded so horrible she sent her straight to the duty doctor - who himself reported he could hear her breathing from his office while she was in the waiting room. New inhaler prescribed, plus ordered to use her maintenance one like it's going out of fashion.

This is from a bug she beat back at Christmas, the same one that hit me at New Year.
Recent conversation:
Me: asked how I was and when I said I was still coughing* said she'd heard some people are still coughing after six weeks.
Sis: My doctor says he's got people still coughing at 100 days.

This winter's bugs are just nasty, even when you haven't got them. Lots of things crossed for inhaled improvements.

* Fingers crossed I've finally got rid of it after a month