Hey Casey,
Without knowing much about you, I always think that if the cold is starting to settle in your chest, you should give the doctor a call. There is usually an asthma component to CF -- so when you are sick, the airways are inflamed and swell trapping that extra mucus you get with a cold. You've got to get the airways as open as possible and that mucus out -- otherwise you can get an exacerbation. The reason I say call your doctor is they can decide if they need to see you. They might want to listen to what is going on in your lungs. My doctor then decides whether I have to change meds, increase treatments, or give me any other recommendations.
In the meantime, I can tell you what I do. To thin mucus, I drink freshly grated ginger tea which also has an anti-inflammatory effect. My doctor thinks this is better than any cough medicine. Then I do extra treatments of a bronchodilator (sometimes my doctor changes which one I am using), nebbed Cromolyn Sodium, hypertonic saline, followed by the Flutter. I then lean over the arm of the couch while applying a strong massager over my lungs front and back (if you have a vest, this will do) and try to cough out every bit of mucus I can. I also take hot steamy showers and keep drinking hot tea (the ginger tea with honey). I up the vitamin C.
I also take supplements like NAC, a multi-strain Probiotic (which have their own pathways in the immune system), Vitamin D, a multiple Vitamin, fish oil, tumeric, plus things like Airborne, Zinc lozenges, Zicam, and perform Nasal Rinses. Before you do anything that I do, discuss it with your doctor.
I think that it is great that at 15, you are so involved with your own care.
