Breathless after walking
I used to walk at least for an hour but now can barely walk for half an hour . I have severe bronchiestasis and my lungs bleed on occasion and lately if I over do the walking. I Would really appreciate some tips on how to get the strength back to walk longer f om anyone who has been through the same thing.
Thanking all in advance .
I am having problems walking lately. I think it is a lot to do with the cold air affecting my lungs.. Walking hasn't been good for ages but worse lately. I am bronch and asthma, too. xx
Hi JK 1957...you do seem to suffer from coughing up blood more than feels 'normal' for bronchiectasis , I think most people have had this happen a few times, but your last post seemed like it is happening a lot.
You should ask your doctor about it, also if is is a lot you may be aneamic .
Also you might have a chest infection at the moment and this is causing the SOB, you should have it investigated anyway I think
Perhaps phone up the BLF nurses on Monday
Hope all goes well
Sohara
Thanks for taking time to reply. I don't cough blood too often but in the last year over exercising causes it . I am attending a specialist regularly so he is monitoring it -& the infections. I have a Mac infection with the Bronchiestasis but thankfully am living ok with it & not on treatment for it
Hardest thing I find in last year so how quickly I get totally breathless & zapped and I have to lie down to recover. Sitting down is not enough. I'm wondering if other people have the same experience. It is becoming more difficult to manage my condition but if I get a better handle on it I feel I will.
I just don't know what is " normal " anymore for people with severe Bronchiectasis . I find this forum a great help
Thanks x
Perhaps it's time to look for an alternative to walking. Swimming or cycling are good all round forms of exercise and cycling could be done indoors on a machine...away from the cold and exhaust fume laden air.
Thanks for reply . Do you find you have to lie down to get relief? I find of late just sitting down doesn't help the breathlessness.
Many thanks for taking the time to reply x
try swimming and walking in the pool, a lot do that at the gym i go to xx
i keep meaning to do that jeanlock but I can't find the time! However, it is on my agenda as this cold weather is a nightmare for outdoor walking! I used to have the time to go. I do feel silly sometimes in the pool as I look quite fit but can't swim as when I try to take proper lessons, I pull a tendon in my elbows or knee as I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, so I have to walk up and down the pool among the swimmers. There is a woman in her 90s who uses our pool and she used to swim past me effortlessly! I am very conscious of what people think and I know I shouldn't be! The gym is out of bounds for me as a walking/running machine is too repetitive for my condition, cycling too (EDS).
stillmovin1
Thank you for taking the time to reply . It's much appreciated. Do you find you have to lie down to restore your breathlessness? I find of late just sitting down doesn't help
Thank you x
Hi JK1957 I too am a bronchiectasis and COPD person so I will try to give any helpful input. We may be at different stages and we are all different with our symptoms. I have been exercising and walking regularly throughout the milder months and tried to carry on in the colder weather but was defeated by shortness of breath. I carried on and tried to do my breathing exercises (huffing...) in the mornings and one morning two weeks ago I very suddenly had the most horrendous sharp pains in my left lung (that's where the bronchiectasis has been located). It didn't stop for two days - every time I breathed in. It was diagnosed by my doc and then, the Urgent Care Centre, as musculo-skeletal, as they found my breathing sounded ok through a stethoscope. I wasn't convinced, given my condition of bronchiectasis and COPD. So, I started my standby supply of Amoxicillan antibiotics 250 mg, one week course ( I did get the doc's permission before doing this, just so they would know and that I could also get a replacement standby supply of antibiotics). After the first day of taking them, the pain suddenly disappeared. I carried on with the full course and have only just finished them. It seems I was having an exacerbation or chest infection and I seemed to have diagnosed myself! My point is, you can be feeling fine and fit and able to exercise well one day and then be hit down in this cold weather by a chest infection which seems to happen overnight. My warning symptoms were a long spell of shortness of breath and then the very sudden sharp pains. I didn't think it was an exacerbation or chest infection at all. Your warning symptoms could possibly be the bleeding and the inability to do the same level of exercise at present. Do get your doctor to check it out and make sure you have a standby supply of antibiotics. This seems to be how we learn about our own symptoms and signs of chest infections or exacerbations. I am in the learning process. I too had bleeding once from my lungs last winter and my doctor told me that it was common with bronchiectasis. It is something to have checked out again though and to push your doctor for the help you feel you need.
Best wishes to you and hope you get it treated in the correct way by your GP. stillmovin1 x
To get relief do you find you have to actually lie down
Sincere thanks
Not always. When I lie down on my back I can start to cough up more phlegm, especially if I don't have any support (like a pillow) behind my head. If I lie on my left side, it is a bit easier to breathe however. That's how I usually try breathing exercises in bed in the morning: lying on left side. I don't lie down during the day usually. But I may have to one of these days, things change all the time. The only relief I found for the shortness of breath was to start some very gentle breath exercises (like lip pursing breathing). In my case, shortness of breath was due to phlegm not shifting in my airways and cold damp weather meaning I was producing more phlegm which was just not shifting. It is a vicious circle but breathing exercises seem to be important.
stillmovin
Sorry - I meant lying on RIGHT side. Typing error I'm afraid!
stillmovin xx
Thank you very much for giving such a comprehensive reply. I have Bronchiestasis for about 30 years but it seems to be deteriorating over last few years ( I am in my late fifties ) last few years I have had many antibiotics & flare ups per year & hospitalised for IV treatment. I am hoping it will stabilise a little as at the moment I find it hard to manage my day . I have energy for a few hours in the morning and then have to rest in bed for at least an hour. By early evening I am breathless again. I also find it varies day to day .
I am lucky to have worked and reared my family whilst still stable
With sincere thanks
Yes you seem to have done very well up to now despite having it for such a long time. I hope your energy levels come back soon. I am a bit up and down. I was only diagnosed in 2010 (accidentally on a ct scan for something else) and I am in my early 50s. I have noticed it does get worse in the autumn/winter months. It certainly can make you feel low when it hits badly though and I try to keep fighting. I hope you recover asap. All the best. stillmovin xx
Thank you so much for your encouragement
I was like you or even worse, I couldn't walk 60 yards without being puffed out. I started going to the gym 3times a week. At firt, on the treadmill, I could hardly do 2 minutes at 3.5 km/H. Now I stay an hour at the gym. I do the static bike and I lift some weights. It's become great fun.
If you do htis for 6 months, you will start seeing a difference. (I have had bronchiectasis since 1994).
Well done helingmic. I hope one day I will be able to do gym work without pulling a tendon! I thought walking and maybe visiting the pool for a 'walk in the water' (not swim) might help. I didn't realise that there seems to be a high risk of catching bugs in the pool though! That's a bit off-putting! I think there is a high risk of catching bugs in any public place but you still have to get out and not be stuck indoors. Keep going. stillmovin xx
I'm afraid, i wouldn't like to go in a pool, as the water is really freezing. I would catch a cold just breathing the cold water.
That's why I prefer the gym which is somewhat warmer.
I can certainly see your point helingmic! I thought about that today in this awful weather as I went past our local swimming pool. The thought of being in there didn't do very much for me! stillmovin
Thanks for comprehensive reply. I am actually living well with a Mac infection for about the last 12 years . I was very fit and healthy otherwise and being closely monitored as the consultant said it is so difficult to eradicate and all the antibiotics have their own side effects. He suspects their maybe be another bug their now so when sputum becomes really putrid it will be tested for same & that will have to be treated .
Today thankfully I am stronger that recent weeks so maybe I'm not managing it well & resting & planning my day better is required. Hard to accept not being able to do as much as before. I don't actually mind having to sit down & read for a while but when I actually have to lie down to get relief I find it very hard
Thank you again . This forum is a great help .
Sats dropping wgen walking
Walking
walking test
I'M OFF TO REHAB YES YES YES!
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