Hospital appointment

[nannyx6]

Good morning all,i was in hosp in November for a week with exacerbation i had a ct scan about 2 weeks after came out and spirometery and was put on oxygen i am on it still 24/7, ihad a hospital appointment through with consultant for 14th Feb, yesterday had letter through to say been cancelled till May 4th i am just wondering if i should try get nearer appointment again , i learnt from my respiratory team when went to oxygen clinic that i have Bronchiectasis as well as Emphysema, what is the reason i would be seeing consultant?

[2greys]

You are seeing a consultant because they are specialists, a GP will not really know enough to decide the right course of treatment for your conditions, especially with Bronchiectasis, which Gp's have very little knowledge of. A GP is a "Jack of all trades, master of none" in the medical world, okay for general ailments but knows enough to refer you to a specialist to get the care and treatment you need. It will be the consultant who dictates the class of medicines you need to your GP who will then prescribe them.

Obviously the earlier you can see a consultant the sooner you will get the best treatment. Ring them to see if you can get a short notice appointment because of another patient's cancellation.

[nannyx6 in reply to 2greys]

Thank-you very much will ring tomorrow

[O2Trees]

Try calling your consultant's secretary nanny - they are usually very helpful. It's not at all unusual for people with copd to also get bronchiectasis which will have been picked up on your ct scan. I have both myself.

If you go down with an infection before you get to see the consultant, make sure you take a sputum sample into your surgery so you can be prescribed the correct antibiotic for the particular bacteria, and the standard protocol according to my respiratory nurse is to take ABs for 2 weeks initially, not one.

Because people with bronch can get colonised by bacteria e.g. pseudomonas you need to keep your lungs clear of mucus. So you should ask to see a respiratory physiotherapist and learn the active cycle of breathing to bring the gunk up more easily. There are many with bronch here so you may get more detailed information from them.

[nannyx6 in reply to O2Trees]

Thank you very much , i will ring tomorrow and ask, i am so pleased you said its not unusual for people copd to get bronchiectasis , i hadn't even heard of it before so wasn't sure what it was still not 100% as nobody has explained to me i have looked on here so learnt a bit more