bronchiectatis

[Wee-ann]

i was diagnosed with bronchietatas last April after two and a half year of being treaded for chest infections before i saw a specialist he put me on three difrent kinds of tablets,carbocistein 2 twice daily,azithromycin 1,three times a week and theophylline every night.I was supposed to see my specialist again this month but thats been cancelled due to the dreaded virus my problem is, i thought i would feel a lot better than i do,or is this as good as its get?,because i still have a lot of mucus and trouble clearing it,and please tell me it's ok for to have some small bladder weakness when trying to clear your lungs or is that just me.this is the my first time writing so I'm not to sure if im doing right take care ,Ann

[corriena]

Hello Ann welcome

You seem to be on standard tablets for you condition. Have you learned how to huff a technique to help clear the airways? I think thear is a description on hear somwear or phone blf helpline and ask them. Yes unfortunately bladder weakness on clearing is not that unusual. try some pelvic floor exercises that will help. If you have any specific questions or concerns phone your consultant and ask for a phone consultation or again the blf helpline can help but they dont have access to your notes. Try and drink lots of water this will keep the mucas moving. And exercise as much as you feel comfortable with

[Wee-ann in reply to corriena]

thank you corriena,will give the huff technique ago i wasn't told anything on how to help my condition only to take the tablets as directed,maybe if my appointment wasn't cancelled for this consultation i would have been told more.

[Hidden]

Hi Anne - Good advice from corriena

Did you get referred to the physio for guidance on the ACB?

A Good Video (below) - remember to drink plenty of water every day to help the carbocisteine along and in turn help you cough up the excess mucus.

Hope you find things becoming easier for you.

youtu.be/XvorhwGZGm8(Not working as expected?)

[Wee-ann in reply to Hidden]

thank Bkin,that looks like a simple exercise to do,i will certainly give it a try and thanks again for you and corriena for replying to me.

[Ergendl]

Pelvic floor exercises will make a real difference. Diaphragm singing will also help bring up all the gunk in the lungs. All the best.

[Wee-ann in reply to Ergendl]

Hello Ergendl, thanks for the reply I am going to try all that's been sugested to me.

[Izb1]

Hi Wee-ann and welcome to the site. You will find lots of information on here and alot of people who can answer your questions as there are quite a few with bronchiectasis. On the left there are search boxes that you can look up bronchiectasis. You will learn to handle your lung problems but this site will help you along x

[B0xermad]

Hi wee-ann yes all this advice will help enormously and also yes on the bladder control is a side effect of coughing, clearing mucus and laughing too much can make you have trouble with leakage.i have bronchiectasis 6yrs now and its definitely a learning curve in how to get a grip on all of the things associated with the condition. Clearance devices huffing and 2 litres of water a day is a must for me hope you will get a better understanding of what you can do to alleviate your problems now x .good luck .I had a Brilliant leaflet downloaded from Scottish bronchiectas lung conditions nhs

[Wee-ann]

Thank you I have learned more things to do, to help myself since yesterday than in a year since my diagnosis, the breathing exercise alone has made a difference to me, plus am not computer savvy so I might take me longer to answer everyone.😕

[MoyB]

When I was first diagnosed it was after having multiple chest infections one after the other. My chest was in a bad way.

Although I was shown the ACB technique it didn't seem to be helping me. Luckily, my daughter-in-law is a physio, specialising in respiratory, so she came over and showed my husband and me how do do postural drainage. This involves lying on your side, following the ACB then, as you breath out, you either pat yourself hard on the side with your opposite hand, or someone else (preferred) pats you hard with cupped hands while you exhale. There are videos on YouTube that would make it much clearer.

Anyway, we did this twice a day for quite a few months and eventually, I didn't need to do it as I wasn't bringing up anything like the amount of phlegm that I did in the beginning. I don't do the postural drainage at all these days, although I do the basic ACB without hardly noticing that I'm doing it, I'm so used to it now.

I usually shift phlegm without trying at about 11.00 am and again at about 3.00 pm. When I lie down in bed at night, I often have a little to huff up, but as I said, nowhere near as much as I did in the early days. I think I must have been shifting all the gunk that had built up over the time of all the infections.

Things seem to be well controlled now.

I have found this site to be a godsend. I was really depressed when I first joined as I felt so unwell and unable to do much, recovering from yet another bout of pneumonia. I found the positive attitudes of people in the group so helpful and they gave me hope for the future!

I have also found my local Breathe Easy group to be a great support. In fact it was through them that I discovered I should keep a 'Rescue Pack' at home ie antibiotics and prednisolone to tackle infections as soon as they start. You may want to ask your GP about this.

The BLF have some good information leaflets on Bronchiectasis. You can request them and they are free.

I hope you soon feel a lot better than you do now. You've had a lot of sound advice from people on here so hope it all helps you as it did me.

xx Moy

[Wee-ann in reply to MoyB]

Thanks,MoyB,the advice on this site has been great and very beneficial to me.

[Smoggy1990Boggy in reply to MoyB]

I think this is a god send for us who have lung conditions. Respiratory physiotherapists are amazing and often don't get the praise they deserve. So many of us have benefitted from them when they do pulmonary rehab, please say a thank you to your daughter in law.

[MoyB in reply to Smoggy1990Boggy]

Thank you for your kind reply. I will pass it on to my daughter in law. She has just finished a number of weeks working with COVID patients. She will appreciate a boost! xx Moy

[Patchpoppy2]

Hi, Wee-ann. I have bronchiectasis and asthma, and I too take Carbocistine capsules and azthromycin 3 times a week. Yes I too leaked after all the coughing, that is perfectly normal. Strain on bladder. The tablets have helped, I don't get as many chest infections, but I was given a flutter valve recommended by physio. This does help with chest clearance. I would mention it to your gp/specialist/physio. Good luck for the future, it will all help in time. Keep safe

[Milandra17]

Hi Wee Ann, I was in the same place as you a couple of years ago. I'm much better now. No coughing plus pelvic floor exercises every day have sorted out the bladder weakness.

It took me a long time to get a diagnosis too - 18 months. Continuous chest infections weakened my pelvic floor and I really thought I had that problem for life. Really depressing. But I've been well for 18 months now so things can get better.

Sending you good wishes for your health

[Wee-ann in reply to Milandra17]

Hi,Milandra,that exactly how i feel at the moment,plus I've got other health issues to deal with;but the advice I have received has all positive which is great.

[Wee-ann]

Thanks you

[Mooka]

Hi Wee-Ann

When you finally get around to seeing a physio they will go through pelvic floor exercises as the two go hand in hand. I would recommend Pilates your pelvic floor automatically comes in when doing these exercises. We have a month every year when we concentrate on pelvic floor. My class also does a lot of breathing exercises. They are currently online so still able to do them. I hope the excellent advice you have received helps. If not come back and ask some more questions x

[Wee-ann]

Thanks you,

[Response]

The Active Cycle of Breathing as mentioned and shown below should help.

I find first thing in the morning, just before bed and 10 mins after prescribed saline nebuliser (if that's being prescribed for you.) helps. You should be able to tell by the sounds how much mucus you still have left. Also a bit throughout the day when needed helps - although don't know if it's dangerous to do it too much so do check with your medical professionals