I just joined. Aged 70, whooping cough when I was 5 allegedly 'caused' bronchiectasis, (and chronic ear infections/hearing loss) . I had a lot of support for the next 10 years, then abandoned treatments (1960) in favour of misspending my youth. (With hindsight I might have done both.) I experienced all sorts of ups downs and exacerbations during the next 40 years, but generally life was enjoyable and interesting, including a family, rewarding education and career, great friends, and the advantages of life in the West, nice home, car, holidays, good books, films, and food, clean drinking water and constant hot water. Plenty ciggies! And Peace. After 60 I deteriorated. Breathing problems, crumbling bones, hospital admissions, pseudonomous(sic), phlegm, oxygen. Medicines much like that of others similarly placed, as recounted on this site.
I've never known another person with bronchiectasis, derived some comfort from this shared experience - my first encounter with you and telling you my story.
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selims
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Hi Selims and welcome to the Community. I too have bronchiectasis caused by Whooping Cough. Can't compete with you on the cigarettes though as I never smoked. There are a fairly goodly number of fellow sufferers amongst the membership here, but it is nice to have another to join us in swapping trials and tribulations of life with yucky lungs.
Hopefully you will meet plenty of new friends here. Both with and without your tiny list of ailments
Hi Selims, I have Bronchiectasis too, diagnosed when I was 22 but probably there from age 16-17, when I started getting infections. Like you, I was able to lead a full life despite regular bouts of respiratory problems but for the last few years things have become much harder to handle. Until finding this forum, I'd only known of two other people who had bronch so being able to discuss it here with so many other knowledgeable people, is a huge support. Sometimes it gets a bit hard to handle and sometimes there are setbacks - pseudomonas and aspergillis, to mention a few but mostly I try to concentrate on keeping 'it' in it's place and not letting it get the other hand. And despite the restrictions and exacerbations, life is still good. And we are still here, so that's a plus :),
Hello & welcome! I don't have your condition but there are several who do, so you'll be able to swap stories. We are all a mixed bunch with one thing in common....... Poorly lungs. We also have a sense of humour & enjoy sharing stories with each other so please feel free to join in! 😀
Hello Selims - another bronch (plus asthma) here. It's never too late to try things to help - best thing that happened for me was going on a pulmonary rehab course a year ago. Since then have lost two stone, walk 10,000 steps a day (when well) and am generally much fitter. Follow up to the course showed an 8% improvement and FEV1 had gone up. I am older than you at 75. It seems that whooping cough is often suggested as a cause for bronch but I lived with and worked with smokers although have never smoked myself.
Hi Welcome to the forum. It is very helpful and makes you feel less lonely. I have bronch caused by a viral inf 5 years ago. The one thing people do not understand is the exhaustion you feel is not ordinary tiredness. Kaye
Hi from another bronchiectasis sufferer with the added complication of a mycobacterium infection. I have had a bad week but having another scan and bronchoscopy next week, it's been two years since the last. I have been on antibiotics permanently for three years because of the infection and it is all knackering! I was working in Hong Kong when I was diagnosed, now retired to France. Good luck.
Hi, welcome. I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis 5 years ago. Then it was in the bottom of one lung now in the bottom of both. Received no treatment or physio and now I have an aspergillus nodule the physio department at home will not see me. Thank Goodness for the National Aspergillosis Centre in Manchester where I can see a physio if I need to.
PS I think there's another helpful site called bronchiectasis r us.
Also many Bronchs take the antibiotic azithromycin 3 times weekly to help stay infection free. If you do get an infection then another antiB is prescribed. Azithromycin has changed lives for them.
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