Bronchiectasis

[Freddy369]

Hi Everyone,

I joined the site a month or so ago and I can see that it's a good community. To be honest, I don't post that much but I thought that I would share my experience. I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis in July 2015. I had been coughing on waking and a little blood had appeared in my mucus. Of course I immediately booked an appointment with my GP and had an X ray which was normal; at this point my breathing was fine but then I had a spiromitry test which gave me only a 50/60 % output. Coupled with my blood in sputum, I was fast tract for a CT scan which confirmed bronchiectasis.

I hadn't a clue what brochiectasis was. I was told it was mild and was offered a Ventolin inhaler. At the time, I thought me, an inhaler? But I accepted it and put it in a drawer and forgot about it. My breathing was fine, that was until a year and a half later in December last year when I had a coughing fit at 4am and then really started to struggle for breath. Most of you will undestand what this feels like but for me who had never experienced it before, I was scared, I mean panicking and heaving for air. I know it sounds daft now but at the time I wasn't sure whether I would survive the night. I suddenly remembered about the inhaler and got it out of the drawer; I had no idea how to use it but as I sat with it in my hand, I slowly began to breath easier.

Since then I have had to use the inhaler 2/3 times a day and cannot walk as far as I did six months ago without using it while walking. I know that compared with several members, I'm doing ok but was wondering whether that coughing fit triggered the breathless incident which continues today with me using the inhaler. I'm 68 and I'm going for an appraisal of my condition this Friday, also to have a flu jab which I've never had before; with Regards to all

[mrsmummy]

Hello and welcome Freddy369. You have selected a good forum to join.

[Maureenclayton]

I feel for you Freddy it's a terrible experience for you, you just think that's the end. I have asthma and bronchiectasis and it's very frightening when you have infections etc. I hope that the doctor is sending you to a specialist like mine has done, I'm going tomorrow but Infact I've had this condition for 4 years but mildly till this year where it has spread to my right lung, I like yourself could walk some distance until this condition has got a lot worse and now I can't walk upstairs or across the road to my daughters house, it's like you feel what's happened? What did I do for this to happen all of a sudden. I think the thing to do is make sure you ha e the right people looking after you i e a specialist and a physiotherapist , who I am also going to be seeing for the first time on the 12th October, to help with mucus build up etc, which will make life more bearable, I really hope you get the right people to take care of you, sooner rather than later like me. Thinking of you. X

[Freddy369 in reply to Maureenclayton]

Thanks for that Maureen, I'll see what happens on Friday, Cheers

[Lindy-loo1949]

I relate Freddie! 😲 cough cough hack sputter... the worst feeling not to be able to catch your breath! The worst.

[Osha in reply to Lindy-loo1949]

I read a post sometime ago that a 20 year old young girl said she did not want to spend the rest of her life taking shallow breaths, which sums it up for me. To take a deep breath now is just a dream. Accepting the inevitable is the way forward. I do know that taking exercise no matter how small is a bonus. What I would like to know is that when I become breathless and my heart is beating faster is that dangerous? Or should I work through it ?