Newly diagnosed with bronchiectasis

[iamgg]

I am 25 yrs. old and I found out last Apr. 2022 that I have a bronchiectasis. I am a licensed professional teacher but I am not still teaching as I newly passed the exam and I feel really sad about what had happened to me. Shall I continue my profession or what? What pieces of advice you can give to me? Thank you so much and God bless us all.

[Hidden]

Of course you can carry on teaching! If you scroll down you will see some comments by members who have been teaching all their working lives whilst living with bronchiectasis. I was diagnosed at 3 I am now nearly 73 and I have had and still have a very full life. I still spend 2 days each week guiding at a heritage site.The most important thing with bronch is management. Self management in emptying your lungs every day to deprive the germs of the warm wet environment that they like to breed in, lots of exercise and learning to recognise when a bacterial exacerbation is starting up so that you can start your antibiotics.

Medical management. You MUST be under the care of a bronch expert consultant. GPs know nothing about bronch and general respiratory consultants very little more. They do not have the training or see enough bronch patients to gain experience.

Bronch is complex and we are all different. There are nany different antibiotics and delivery systems which help to deal with exacerbations and to keep us stable and only hospital based bronch specialists have all of this at their finger tips. They also advise your GP on antibiotics etc for you.

If you are not under the care of a bronch specialist, look for one on the sites of big teaching hospitals find the name and insist that your GP gives you a referral.

We have to be very proactive in our own interests and vociferous in sourcing the right care.

Remember you are the same person as you were before they threw the word bronchiectasis at you only now you will learn to be in control. It takes organisation.and can be tiring but there is absolutely no reason that you can't do anything that you want to do.

And yes, there are quite a few of us on this forum who have been walking this path of living with bronch for many years and will be happy to support you along it.

[iamgg in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much. I am nearly teary-eyed. I am so glad that many here would like to support me. I am just new here. I have my doctor and she is a pulmonary specialist. I think finding a bronch expert here in my country is rare. And yes, I really wanted to do the things I love to do and still wanna try to do. I am still young and I know there's more to life! Thank you for the advice. ♥️♥️

[Bunski in reply to Hidden]

Spot on advice as always. Just one consideration, as a teacher you are very prone to picking up chest infections.

30+ kids in the room, always some with something to pass on and you may have some senior manager that tries to bully you into keeping windows closed to save heating costs. As a teacher for 36 years, I had frequent colds and flu. Just take extra care and be prepared to tell management about your condition. Too many are afraid to do this for some reason.

[teddyd]

I cant see why you could not teach.Bronchiectasis/asthma has not prevented me doing anything. Looking after your health and the correct medication specifically geared towards you should allow you to have a full life.

Old age has stopped me not Bronchiectasis.

[iamgg in reply to teddyd]

Thank you! 🙏

[Karenanne61]

Littlepom has answered so succinctly there is nothing to add but Hi and welcome to this friendly, funny and informative forum.

[iamgg in reply to Karenanne61]

My pleasure. 🙏 How are you?

[Karenanne61 in reply to iamgg]

I am well thankyou. And you?

[iamgg in reply to Karenanne61]

Here, I am feeling ok but sometimes not esp. the weather now is not okay. Its always raining and its cold.

[iamgg]

Can I still ask? Uhm, is it really needed to get vaccines such as anti-flu and pnemoccocal?

[Karenanne61 in reply to iamgg]

I would say YES! YES! YES! Infections are the enemy to be be avoided at all costs. Of course it's an individual's choice to get the flu, pneumonia, covid etc jabs but I would rather be jabbed and enjoy being out than remain scared at home.

[iamgg in reply to Karenanne61]

Those vaccines did really works? Uhm, I haven't tried them personally (actually I've already got covid vaccine, but no flu and pnemoccocal) and my doctor says that I should have those shots.

[Karenanne61 in reply to iamgg]

I have no medical or scientific knowledge but I believe the evidence that the vaccinations work. I did get covid last year but because I had had all my jabs it was mild and manageable at home. I suggest you discuss it with your doctor.

[Hidden in reply to iamgg]

Definitely get the flu and pneumoccocal vaccines. I started having the flu vacc in 1979 and have only had 2 mild doses in all of those years. Flu and pneumonia can lead to more damage to bronch lungs. A no brainer.

[Patk1 in reply to iamgg]

The advice in UK is to have yr vaccinations. Viral infections can turn into bacterial lung infections so being protected is advisable

[Kpacific in reply to iamgg]

I’m a retired teacher, and I never missed getting my vaccines. Children and teenagers exchange colds and flu throughout the school year. You need all the protection that you can get!🤧

[LissacFrance in reply to iamgg]

Most definitely!

[Digger0 in reply to iamgg]

YES! You really need to reduce the number of bugs you might get!

[Alberta56]

Like Karenanne I believe the covid jabs kept my bout of covid reasonably mild. The one drawback of teaching as a profession is that you will be exposed to a lot more germs, especially at primary level. i would say try it and see how you get on. You might find 4 days a week would suit you better than full time. If by any chance you are sporty, you might be able to get some of the exercise we bronchs need while working. Welcome to the forum and good luck with finding a satisfying job.

[Morrison10]

welcome.Where.do.you.live.I.have.Bron.all.life.now.age.87.

[iamgg in reply to Morrison10]

Wow I am amazed by you! I am from the Philippines.

[Digger0]

Of course you can carry on teaching! I was a physio (now retired) and still go out surveying ancient monuments, excavate on archaeology digs, back pack etc and I'm 72 in March. Get the correct medication, do your chest clearing every moning (I do this physio-pedia.com/Active_Cyc... and enjoy life. Good luck

[B0xermad]

At 25 you have a wonderful career ahead of you and your bronchiectasis should not deter you from being the teacher you want to become, there will be times when you may catch some germs from the little people and as a teachers assistant for many years I certainly did ,but the rewards you get from teaching cannot be better .I wish you well and follow your dreams

[Beconator]

I am a teaching assistant ( as well as other jobs, TA pay is poor) and have relatively little time off per year (probably under 30 days per year). I don’t know where in the world you are, but here in the UK discrimination because you have a condition/disability is illegal. Chest clearance is paramount, get a nebuliser and saline and ask about Carbosisteine (mucus thinner) take care of yourself, switch off from the job as teaching is very stressful and enjoy!

[Izb1]

Hi iamgg and welcome to the site. You have been given excellent advice by members and hope you are feeling a little better about your diagnosis x

[GintyFerguson]

Hi and welcome, in my experience it was mostly under 5s that gave me bugs . Just be careful and keep your general health good and hopefully you will be OK.

[TG58]

Hi

It's important not to fret over being diagnosed, my story is I'm 64 and was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and Asthma right at the start of covid, which was very scary, as I thought I would have to stop my job, (I'm a postman) because of getting breathless all of the time, I got constant infections for the first couple of months, so was always on different antibiotics which made me feel sick. But to the contrary, now I have my inhalers I lead a normal life, it turns out I'm probably in one of the best jobs, as with all the walking I'm constantly clearing my lungs, obviously the winter days can be difficult, but wearing the right clothing helps tremendously, I also try and do the gym 3 times a week for more cardio, so I try to keep active. I did get covid last October, and now am in long covid which has taken its toll, and just over 3 weeks ago got sciatica, which is the most horrendous pain I have ever experienced, so at the moment not so active, however I know this won't last forever, and I will get back on the horse and work my way back to normal. Sorry for the long reply, but my point is never give up, you have to keep fighting, you're very young and can have a great life ahead of you, and you will be amazed at what you can achieve. Best of luck to you

[Lutontown]

How did you find out you had bronch? Was it after a scan, and did you see a specialist in the hospital? How many lobes of your lungs are affected? As has been well pointed out, you can live a pretty normal life with the right management.

[iamgg in reply to Lutontown]

Yes after ct scan. And my left upper lung is affected.

[TG58 in reply to Lutontown]

After a CT scan, but due to negligence, they never gave me the results for 5 months, and it's in the lower lobe of my lung.

[Timberman]

You can do anything you want to. As a sufferer I can tell; you it is annoying and can flare up but it can also be controlled and treated when necessary and has never actually stopped me doing anything until now - and I am 79. The cause - widening/weakening of the walls of the bronchi - can create conditions for infection so good coughing practice to bring up mucus and various breathing tricks you should be taught will help.

I was not diagnosed until I was about 68 but had suffered lifelong respiratory problems - asthma as a child, multiple chest infections and finally, after giving up smoking at age 50 but too late, emphysema/COPD. I think I may have had bronch for a lot longer in reality. However. after treatment for leukemia I twice had pneumonia so scarring may be the cause.

It is an interesting disease but despite being chronic, obstructive and of the respiratory system it is NOT included in COPD. However it is my COPD clinicians who give me the best support!

I always think it helps to become a bit of an expert patient so maybe read up on it? This is a good start: nhs.uk/conditions/bronchiec...

[Milandra17]

Yes! Carry on with your plans. There are so many levels of bronchiectasis. I was diagnosed early 2018 following 18 months of continuous chest infections. I didn't expect to be well ever again. However, I've not had a chest infection since March 2019. If you are able, exercise is extremely beneficial. I joined a walking group that had been newly set up locally for all abilities. At first I couldn't walk very far without having to stop and catch my breath but eventually as my health improved so did my walking abilities.Wishing you all the best with your future career

[Beth1949]

I agree with what Littlepom wrote. Also, look at your environment (hidden mold, allergies, etc). It's sometimes the little things that can cause issues.

Example: I bought new bed pillows, within a week I was coughing a lot at night. Turns out, I bought goose down pillows. I replaced the new pillows with hyper-allergenic pillows, and the coughing stopped.

I've had breathing issues for about 35 yrs. (Bronchiectasis and asthma) I'm 73 now and only when I do strenuous activities that I get short of breath.

As Littlepom stated, be proactive in your health care.

Welcome to this forum, you will get a lot of tips to improve your health, Beth

[pickingflowers4u in reply to Beth1949]

Hi Beth1949. Having read about the issue you had with pillows, reminds me of a similar problem. I bought brushed cotton bedlinen. I washed and tumble dried it before using it. However, I noticed I was more breathless in the mornings. After 3 days I put 2 and 2 together and changed back to my usual bedding. The fibres seemed loose and easily detached from the material. I suffer with blockages in my lung, due to Aspergillus. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem. I'd be interested to know.

[Hobbledehoy]

Do everything you can. Live your life as fully as possible. Your health is a team effort: Your doctors, your meds, and You. Good luck and God bless x

[pickingflowers4u]

Hi iamgg. I too have bronchiectasis. I am unable to advise you, it wouldn't be the right thing to do. However on diagnosis my consultant considered working with children or old people, would increase my chances of catching infections. Something that is bad gor bronchiectasis suffered. Not sure if you are planning to work eith these groups. All the best.

[Warrior4104]

Hey. 18 y/o bronch sufferer here. Got diagnosed few months ago. Its very frustrating at first but once its under control, everything is okay. I have learned a lot from the experienced people on this forum. Wish you good luck and good health

[iamgg in reply to Warrior4104]

Hey there girl. You are a brave one. Thank you for sharing your story. Yes it is frustrating upon knowing but like you, I will get through this and will also be a warrior. This site is helpful. Take care as well dear.