Feeling poorly with bronchiectasis

[Happyhare]

I have been on two weeks of antibiotics for a chest infection while away on holiday. Am now back home but have started to fill up with phlegm again and feel as if I have flu. This morning had a spot of brown in my phlegm. The GP said yesterday that she couldn’t hear any crackles on my lungs.Any advice for a newcomer to the forum?

[Hidden]

Hi Happyhare. You are obviously still struggling with a badly treated exacerbation. The antibiotics which you have been on are either the wrong ones for the bug in there, too low a dose or not given for long enough. GPs know next to nothing about bronch and are scared to prescribe the right abs in high enough doses. You should have a bronch specialist to advise your GP how to treat you. Not a general respiratory consultant because their training and experience of bronch is not sufficient. If you have a bronch specialist ring their secretary and tell them that you are in trouble. If you do not, look for one in your area. They are usually at big teaching jospitals. Take the name to your GP and insist on a referral. Do not take no for an answer.

In the meantime take a sample of sputum to the GP and get them to send it off to find out which bug is in there. The labs can be notoriously inaccurate because they don't leave the specimen to cook for long enough to show up the bugs which we bronchs get but it is a first step. I hope that you get it sorted.

[RoadRunner44]

Hello, Little pom has said it all and I have very little to add. Firstly, are you on long term antibiotics? Secondly, has your consultant told you what extra antiobiotic you should take together with your usual one. When you have an exacerbation like you are experiencing you have to hav the right antibiotic. The bacteria in your lungs has to be analysed so you must get a sample of your sputum sent to the lab. This will dictate the kind of antibiotic appropriate for the bugs hiding there. Hope you feel better soon.

[cofdrop-UK]

Hi Happyhare and a very warm welcome.

You have some good advice from you new friends. Definitely agree look for a respiratory consultant with a special interest in cf/bronchiectasis, also see GP again, along with a sputum sample if you don’t feel any better. I would also up the lung clearance.

Please let us know how you get on. Hope you feel better soon.

Love cx

[crashdoll]

Hi Happyhare and welcome, glad you found this place. It’s been an invaluable source of support for me and people are so lovely.

I often have infections which culture in my sputum even when my GP swears my lungs sound ok. It might be that they weren’t the right antibiotics for the big you have. Have you done a sputum sample? Your GP can sort this out for you. That’s the first step.

Have you got a good respiratory consultant?

Take care, rest up.

[Happyhare in reply to crashdoll]

Yes I have done a sputum test and gave it to the GP. He didn’t seem to know what to do with it at first and when I said that I needed to have the longer time of culture told me the lab would decide how long to culture the specimen. Like you I think I might have bugs which are there even when the GP can’t hear anything on my lungs so sputum tests are important. I felt very deflated after my consultation. However he did realise how run down I am and has put me on steroids, so hopefully these4 will pick me up. Thank you for your reply, I feel that I need to talk to people who also suffer bronchiectasis as I feel left without any knowledge of how to manage it. Much appreciated.

[crashdoll in reply to Happyhare]

This is relatively new to me but happy to chat if you ever want a friendly ear. It helps to feel less alone.

Steroids should give you a pick up, they’ve been helping me a lot.

Are you under a specialist respiratory consultant? If not, you should be, ideally someone with an interest in bronchiectasis.

Take care.

[stamford1234]

I hope your hols weren't completely ruined. I don't know much about Bronchiectasis. I am COPD. It does sound like you need another trip to the Drs. for a different AB. Lots of good advice for you on here from others in the know. I hope you feel better soon

[Fionafish]

Hi Happyhare, sorry to hear you are feeling rough. I have bronchiectasis and the last few years have been a continual round of chest infections. The past year I have been taking antibiotics continually - strong doses for 14 days to clear the gunk and then reduced dose to ward off further infection (more or less two weeks on, two weeks off!)

What has helped is a different method of clearing the mucus. For years I have been doing the method which can be found on youtube and another fairly similar way but I don't think they deal with the lower lobes (or at least not for me).

Lie on one side with your top arm lying along your body in a relaxed way. Take three deep breaths ensuring your ribs at the side rise and holding your breath briefly each time. Relax for a breath or two and then repeat three more times. Then do a long huff (I have found that there is almost a bite point, like a clutch, where at the end of the long breath out there is a little crackle). I always cough at this point and keep toilet roll handy to monitor what comes out. I have also had a spot of brown which can be alarming. I thought it was something people with our condition get from time to time.

This method of chest clearance is very tiring at times but so far I am six weeks without an infection so well worth the effort. The physio who taught me this method also said we should do 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. I always thought we had to exercise as hard as we could (and I still do within reason and how I am feeling) but she said on a scale of one to ten (one being fine and ten being completely breathless) we should be exercising at a three. Personally I think seven might be more effective so don't really want to follow that advice but she is the senior respiratory physio so ...

You probably will not feel like any of this if you have flu but maybe it might help in the future. Hope you feel better soon.

[Gladwyn in reply to Fionafish]

Thanks for all that information , it's really helpful. 😀😀