COPD update and next steps.

[Alwaysreading_46]

Well, hello again. I hope you're all well.

My wife saw the ANP yesterday. Given a full rundown of all she has had done and been given etc.

She did not prescribe anymore antibiotics as she wants a sputum sample over 3 days to find out exactly what sort of bacteria they are dealing with. Not helpful she will have done her last one on Saturday when they're closed but I guess I can go down and drop it in. She wants to make sure it isn't Pseudonomas.

She has been given 5mg of Prednisone 6 to be taken each morning for a week to try and give her some peace from the coughing.

She now sounds like she has a heavy cold. Runny nose, wet cough etc. 🙄

I told the nurse when she was part way through the Co-Amoxyclav she was up and almost no coughing, sputum clearing up and breathing fine. Still a touch of the green stuff but 95% clear.

Her BP was fine. Her BMI for what it's worth was within range and she said she heard a wheeze and a slight crackle.

She has to go for a blood test also as well as her xray on Monday.

I asked couldn't be viral pneumonia or severe bronchitis. I got told it could be COPD.

I told her my wife has never shown any major symptoms and she only took Ill over Xmas. 2 of our friends have had it also one whom is still trying to shake it after 3 months.

She said. The infection could have been enough to have started the COPD or caused it to be shown. 🤷

Yet when she is on strong antibiotics and the green gunk clears, she is fine. She's slept through the night and only coughing now since she's gotten up.

To say I hadn't thought about copd would be a lie but now we have to wait to get in for the blood test, drop in the 3 sputum samples and the xray.

To be honest I don't even know why I'm putting this on here. I just feel like im banging my head against a brick wall. Whilst feeling I wish I could do more for her. She was so good on Friday and sat and now she's off the antibiotics. Coughing again.

Anyway. Thanks for listening folks.

Have a great day.

Craig.

[Hidden]

It sounds to me that your wife had a thoroughly nasty virus over Christmas which has resulted in a bad bacterial infevyion which hasn't been treated long enough with a high enough dose of the right antibiotic. Especially as you say that she improved so much when on antibiotics. I don't have copd, I have bronchiectasis but I am sure that thoae who do have it will agree that it comes on gradually. I don't think that this ANP -whatever that is- has much knowledge of respiratory problems but is going round in circles clutching at straws.

[Patk1]

Hopefully steroids will help to settle airways twitching,& cough.theyre v good.great that drs being so thorough.it sounds now like she may have a cold.prob worth her doing covid test.yes the viral coughs the winter,in many people,are lingering for 3+ mths & sound awful .hope wife's better soon

[sassy59]

Hi Craig, it seems to me that any viral/bacterial infection caught around Christmas time is lasting for months. My daughter is still blowing muck from her nose weeks and weeks after her infection. No idea why. I do hope your wife responds to any medication and will make a good recovery.

My husband has COPD (chronic bronchitis) and it was diagnosed by chest x-Ray and scan back in 2010. Your wife could have a type of pneumonia or bronchitis but not necessarily COPD.

Try not to worry too much and don’t be too alarmed. Hopefully the sputum samples will show something so your wife will get the right antibiotics. Thinking of you both. Xxxx

[Alberta56]

Best wishes. I hope your wife soon gets the treatment she needs.

[djbctla]

Hi Craig

It’s reassuring to hear you wife is having tests, to rule out, and confirm her health problems.

I know it is worrying at the moment, that’s understandable.

My instinct tells me, the team are determined to find out exactly what is going on in order to target her issue.

I’m sending both of you best wishes.

Bernardine 🥰🤗🤗🤗🌷🌺🌺

[Lfcpremier]

Hi.. Really strange your wife wasn't allowed to finish the Co-amoxiclav course. Sorry.. Is an ANP a nurse practitioner? Wondering why she saw her if she was much improved?Hopefully the sputum samples will yield some info & if not & she's unwell again insist on a referral to a respiratory specialist.

Hoping the steroids reduce inflammation & give her a break from coughing. Keep us posted. G

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to Lfcpremier]

Hey. Thanks for replying.

An ANP is an advanced nurse practitioner. Not as highly ranked as a GP but takes the workload off them. They can still do tests and diagnose and write prescriptions. It was the only appointment available at the time.

She did finish the Co-Amoxyclav and was improving but still had a slight cough at the end with a bit of green phlegm. So they won't give her anymore and she had a weeks worth.

She started with amoxycillin 500mg twice a day. Didn't feel much better until about day 4 or so. Told it should do the job even though we were told it sounded like a severe chest / viral infection by the GP callback from 111.

A week after. Worse again. Given clarithromycin. Again 1 week. Twice a day. Improving. Then the same. Still a lingering cough and green gunk. Told it should clear up.

Nope. Saw a nurse at walk in centre. Booked xray. Waiting nearly 2 weeks now going in Monday.

Gave her antihistamines. To "dry up her chest" her words.

Rang 111 day after. GP said each dose and medicine wasn't enough and it sounded like it got stronger. Hence the Co-Amoxyclav and inhaler.

Marked improvement within 2 days. 1 3 times a day. Was told if anything reminds contact gp to completely kill it off.

Clear phlegm. Sporadic coughs. Green bits now and again when a deep cough.

No more antibiotics now until they find out what the sputum test says. Which could be anytime knowing how we have been messed about.

The Prednisone is giving her relief from coughing. Just the odd cough now and again. If anything comes up it's the green colour again just not as dark.

Chest xray Monday and sputum tests being dropped in at the same time.

5 days of Prednisone. 5mg x 6 every morning.

Regards.

Craig.

[Lfcpremier in reply to Alwaysreading_46]

The fact the sputum is lighter means it's going the right way. A sputum sample now takes a week to produce a result, sometimes a bit quicker if no infection grows.My consultant always says go on how you feel to indicate if you're getting better. It does sound as if your wife has turned a corner. Let's hope so. Co-amoxiclav is a good antibiotic amoxicyllin not very useful. Good luck to her.

[Izb1]

We are told to always finish the course of antibiotics and Co Amoxiclav are a strong antibiotic and sounds like it was helping your wife with her infection, I really dont understand why she took you off them. Its a worrying time when you cant get to the bottom of things, i hope things improve and your wife gets well soon x

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to Izb1]

Hey. Thanks for the reply.

She did finish the course but it was a weeks worth. Her phlegm was clear most of the time with a bit of the green gunk still remaining. Her cough subsided drastically but within 2 days of finishing was coughing again. So they did not want to give her another lot without trying to find out what the bacteria is. So now the sputum test over 3 days.

The Prednisone is helping with her cough but when she does have a decent cough then it's green. 🤷

So now we will have to wait until they get the results to see what medication is next. Yet we can't drop the sample in until Monday at the hospital when she has the chest xray.

Craig

[Izb1 in reply to Alwaysreading_46]

Lets hope they can identify and get onto the right antibiotic, if the mucus is still green then she still has the infection lets hope there is no more delays x

[JJ_7]

Hope your wife is feeling better soon x

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to JJ_7]

Thank you.

[PW_R]

Broadly speaking you can only have copd from spoking (there are a few exceptions). Has she a history of smoking? Although not discussed much you can have chronic bronchitis without copd, and it can be triggered by an infection. Although one may have been aware of some minor symptoms before it presented. In my case I hadn’t had a productive cough in years - I didn’t cough much but if I did it was very dry, possibly a touch of asthma over lap. Also I generally got a chest infection with colds, albeit they reasonably minor, I would have been quite wheezy & tight chested with them. Always bounced back from them, until the one I got last spring when I didn’t. Anyway I hope she simply recovers in due course, which may well happen.

[Karenanne61 in reply to PW_R]

I was told not all copd sufferers smoke/have smoked and not all smokers get copd.

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to PW_R]

Hey. Yes she is a smoker. Yet up until this green gunk saga has never shown any major signs at all.

It could well be she is starting with it but until this infection issue is sorted its up and down. She said she heard a wheeze and slight crackle. I asked could it be pneumonia. As her phlegm at one point was mostly clear but slightly bubbly. She said she wants to see what the sputum test says to rule out Pseudonomas.

But won't prescribe more anyiobitocs as she had 2 a day of amoxycillin which was next to useless. Didn't feel much better until about day 4. Still green gunk.

Left it a week as Dr said it should be enough. Then a week of clarithromycin. That worked better but still green. Same again. Wait a week.

Co-Amoxyclav got it mostly clear but still had a slight cough. So rather than prescribe more as she was improving until she stopped it within a couple of days. Now we wait for sputum results after Monday when we drop them in.

It's been a ride with them for sure.

Craig

[Karenanne61]

Well what a time you've had! I do hope a diagnosis and treatment plan are arrived at very soon. Like others I am very surprised your wife was taken off antibiotics.

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to Karenanne61]

Thank you.

[lovejoyliz]

I have managed to form a daily routine, l use my nebulizer with added "Pulmo Clear" that l get from my GP, l use this 3 to 4 times a day to help clear the mucus, even when is has cleared the muck out l never stop using it each day at least twice a day to make sure the mucus does not build up in my lungs. Some people may use Carbocistine, but it never worked for me, so l changed over to using my Nebs which works very well.

I also have other pieces of equipment like a home Oxygen Concentrator that l use when it is needed. Plus l have other pieces of equipment but they are quite expensive. But the daily Nebulizer helps a great deal for clearing the lungs.

I hope you wife gets better very soon Craig.

Kind regards

LovejoyLiz

[Alwaysreading_46 in reply to lovejoyliz]

Thank you.

[PW_R in reply to lovejoyliz]

So you’re using isotonic saline solution every day - does that have to be prescribed? At what point does one buy their own nebuliser & start doing this? My consultant has told me very little - even the guy I went to for a second opinion hasn’t been much better, other than saying yes fall under a chronic bronchitis diagnosis. Maybe because my my stats are still well above .70 although I’ve heard even people with copd being given an inhaler & sent on their way. The lungs are so complex - if even we could reduce the amount of mucus we are producing, it seems to come back so fast even when I clear.

[lovejoyliz in reply to PW_R]

Hi PW_R

I use the Pulmo Clear that has been prescribed by my GP. The mucus will most of the time be an issue for people with COPD that is why l stick to my daily routine of keeping the lungs clear, if l was to stop doing this on a daily basis, my lungs would begin to fill again and make breathing harder. When l use the nebuliser and pulmo clear l no longer have the problem with the mucus issues.

It is also a good idea to think about Pulmonary Rehab sessions, your doctor should know where these classes are held and they really are great do to do and you meet such lovely people and you have wonderful days of laughing and making real friends.

I know that people with COPD have different issues to deal with, believe me l have had to do a lot of research and spent a lot of my own savings on a number of energy source equipment and bio-botanical equipment that many people would find it hard to pay for, and now with the cost of living the way it has become, even l have had to pull back on spending. So all we can do now is source what is for free help and use it to our advantage by checking with our GP and/or Respiratory Nurse.

I would try and use a Nebuliser and ask your GP to prescribe Pulmo Clear and see how you get on with that as a daily routine.

Best wishes

LovejoyLiz

[PW_R in reply to lovejoyliz]

You certainly have the right approach Liz. I’m not nearly as positive but I guess I’m still in year one of this diagnosis & I feel I’ve quite messed up my life. Looking at leaving the city to move home to the county side for clearer air & emotional support! I will look into the nebuliser & pulmo clear.

What stage are you at & is it emphysema or mainly chronic bronchitis?

[lovejoyliz in reply to PW_R]

Hi PW_R

Oh l am in my 10th year and yes, l do have emphysema and bronchitis, 4 years ago l was constantly have lung infections and ending up in hospital 3 to 4 times in a year, l got so fed up with it all and the constant coughing and trying to bring up the thick mucus, l decided to do some research and make some big changes and they seem to have worked as l have not had to go to hospital for the past 2 years.

I would definitely recommend going to the country where the air is cleaner.

You have not messed up your life, this is something that many people have gone through and many times not their own fault. But the thing right now for you is to think positive and look and what you can do now to help yourself and also pester your GP to help you find other ways of dealing with your illness. NEVER think that you are less of a person than anyone else, you are a beautiful person and one with a BIG heart.

Good luck my friend and know we are all here for you.

Kind regards

LovejoyLiz