I have had a chest infection for 6 weeks now, with a cough that is sometimes dry and sometimes wet (normally green mucus). I have been prescribed amoxicillin by my gp, but have chosen not to take it so far and to wait for it to clear up on it's own. This is partly due to my underlying digestive problems (caused by a partial right hemicolectomy 2 years ago). I also had a chest infection for 3 months from august to november last year, which I did not treat with antibiotics. I had a chest x-ray at the time and no problems were reported. However, I should say that i've had a pneumothorax followed by pleurodesis 10 years ago. My question is, if I don't take the antibiotics now and wait for it to fix itself, do I risk causing permanent damage to my lungs?