Rusty Sputum: Sputum is mucus coughed up from the lungs or lower airways. It normally is used for microbiological tests to see if a bacterium is causing the infection and if so, which bacterium is it. Sputum that is rusty in color is normally an indicate that an individual has pneumonia.

Symptoms that might be noticed in cases of pneumonia include: muscle aches and pains, coughing up rusty or yellow sputum, blood tinged sputum, and chills with fever.

If the pneumonia is caused by bacteria, your physician will attempt to cure the infection with an antibiotic. If the illness is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not be effective but the physician may use anti-viral medication to help with any symptoms.

Self-care at home besides taking all the medications the physician prescribes consist of oral rehydration therapy or ORT which involves replacing fluids and electrolytes lost while ill. This means drinking lots of fluids. If you happen to also have diarrhea with the flu it becomes that much more important for ORT as becoming dehydrated will only make the illness and recovery worse.

Another self-care for at home is deep breathing therapy. This is to keep the lungs clear and is some cases is used for relaxation therapy. It is always good to release stress and eliminate tension in the body especially as you are recovering from a serious illness.