Chest infrctions

[ciggyciggy12]

i have had 5/6 infections been given antibiotics from doctors+hospital im am ok for 2 weeks then it start again and they seem to be getting worse

[Troilus]

Has your GP asked for a sputum sample?

[ciggyciggy12]

no /bloods/ecg/ct/chest xray

[whit]

I had this problem in november last year, i kept asking the doc for a scan, he said no need keep on with the prednisolone , i was taken in to hospital a couple of days before xmas a scan then showed a pneumothorax and water in chest cavity two weeks later water drained off ,after a few more x rays and a couple of more scans i was clear, sent home in middle of january, no probs since, insist on going for a scan.

[peege]

In my experience I need at least 2 weeks of a good antibiotic to clear an infection. I've not been good this year, two infections. In Jan a really bad one, 3 weeks in bed, soaked sheets (I'm pretty sure now that it was pneumonia having had it 5 times in the past). Absolutely could not get through to the gp surgery (you are 20th in the queue). I used my winter Azithromycin 250mgs daily for a few weeks but I know asthma and/ or Small Airways Disease have taken a downturn.

Also, there are some bugs which need a very specific antibiotic to keep them under control but the bugs remain lurking ready for a party when your resistance is low.

One of the first things I'll do when my house is finally sold is to get a private CT scan to see how things are doing (present gp refuses to refer me to consultant 🤬)

[sassy59 in reply to peege]

😡🤬I’m disgusted peege. Xx🤗😘

[leo60 in reply to peege]

I'm disgusted too, that's disgraceful. xx

[Lol1944 in reply to peege]

Your gp cannot without extremely good reason refuse a request for a referral . Put in a request in writing.

[cofdrop-UK in reply to peege]

Sounds like one of those clever buggers who thinkshe knows more than he actually does P. What are his reasons for not referring you to a specialist 💕💕💕💕💕

[peege in reply to cofdrop-UK]

Hello my lovely 😍, he claims my lungs are clear as a bell according to an odd scan at a mobile unit where the 'technicians' didn't seem to know what they were doing ie "oh, that didn't work, let's do it again " 3 times. On the 4th go one of them said "that'll have to do, we can't do anymore ". 😳 . The gp showed me the picture on his screen (after I'd asked him for a look), there were a pair of lungs, a flat picture & not the sectional scan I'd had from London consultant showing the damage up to 2013. Where did that damage go? Some was old from childhood 😕 it was difficult to argue at the time, him being a qualified doctor n all. I cant wait to be shot of him and start again in Cambridgeshire when I've moved. I certainly won't be taking his opinion over St George's respiratory department who diagnosed Small Airways Disease on top of the asthma.

Thanks Cof, are you home now and is BP up at all? I've been thinking about you and wondering how you've got on especially with moving downstairs. Love and a big warm hug xxx P

[sassy59]

Hubby is on azithromycin three times a week to help prevent chest infections. Good idea to do a sputum sample though in order to find out what your body is fighting. I wish you well xxx

[helenlw7]

I had this problem of repeated chest infections about 6 years ago. Eventually my lung consultant put me on Azithromycin as a prophylactic. I’ve only had one infection since!

[meicox in reply to helenlw7]

Is Azithromycin OK with a Penicillin allergy?

[helenlw7 in reply to meicox]

It is. I’m allergic to penicillin too. Also if you have asthma, the 500mg dose I’m on now is supposed to help, otherwise the dose is 250mg grams

[meicox in reply to helenlw7]

Thanks.

[leo60]

I too had repeated chest infections, but since being put on a prophylactic dose of Azithromycin, I have been almost clear. Mention it as well as a sputum sample. Good luck x

[Chip_y2kuk]

How long have you been getting recurrent chest infections for?

[Badbessie]

Your infections may be due to a number of reasons as others have suggested a targeted antibiotic from a sputum specimen may be required. Over Christmas I had COVID and then again two months later. Following this I had three infections and my chest never seemed to clear completely. I also had a tight chest which at times sounded quite bubbly and I had difficulty coughing up sputum. The doctor/nurse changed my inhaler and gave me a sputum thinner. The thinking being that I was getting infections due to the build up of sputum.

My daughter noticed my chest was worse after being outside in the garden and wondered if part of my problem was an allergy. I have never suffered from hay fever but given the tight chest, runny nose etc it could be a possibility. I then took an over the counter antihistamine my symptoms improved greatly, I no longer needed the sputum thinners and I have not had any further chest infections.

Which leaves the question why I have suddenly developed hay fever? On talking to the nurse she feels that the COVID could have left me more susceptible to allergic reactions. Lol... COVID seems to be blamed for everything but as I seem to still be suffering some affects of long COVID perhaps it as affected my immune system.

[Pwkav1]

Hi, I kept taking antibiotics too nothing worked. Had azythromycin 500mg for 9 months for a white mass on left lung. Turns out i had HIB. Azythromycin sorted it out for me and ive been all clear ever since. Good luck Karen xxx

[watergazer]

I needed 3 weeks of doxycycline and a course of steroids to get rid of a nasty bug in February. Hope your well soon x

[Lutontown]

In 2014 I had chest infection with Staphylloccus Aureus bug which went on from end of March into November, and oral AB's hardly touched it. Eventually I was referred to the consultant at the hospital, who had me CT scanned, found I now had bronchiectasis. He also put me on a course of intravenous AB, which knocked the SA bug out. One week later, had another bug which was cleared up with an oral AB. In 2015, 2016 and 2017 I had loads of chest infections (18 in 2017). In April 2018 in the process of changing our bath to a walk in shower, Black Mould was found covering a large part of the bathroom floor, and since eradicating that, I have had NO chest infections. Worth a look? Mould grows wherever there is damp, so leaking roofs, or pipework in the kitchen or bathroom.

[Bardear]

I agree sputum test needed.

I have just finally after YEARS of mentioning to GP's, consultants and Pulmonary Rehab nurses that my sputum was always green except after antibiotics but about 2 weeks later returned to the usual green colour. Sputum should be clear in colour.

Have been told "Mmmmmm"/Probably the colour for you/Don't worry about it"

At last someone listened this year when I mentioned to a pre-op nurse that it was always green - though this was the only symptom I have ever had. She in turn spoke to her colleagues and it was decided to give me a sputum test. Result was pneumo/or pseudo monas (not sure which one and it seems no-one wants to clarify which - all I know is that it is a bacterial infection and the first sign is fever apparently - info given from my GP.

4 weeks of antibiotic prescribed by GP - sputum clear for a few days each time then back to green again. Have not been given any more antibiotics since early May though sputum has been and still is variable in colour.

No test to see if clear - unfortunately it has now made me unfit for my hip operation (3rd time of trying)

So yes sputum test is needed as all the docs etc in the past have been wrong and it took a young nurse to actually listen to me. Bless her.

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[Patk1]

Have u/gp considered an extended course of antibiotics? Do u put specimens in b4 and after? Sorry 100 questions! Do u do lung clearance

[Mouse647]

I get 2 weeks worth of antibiotics they usually give me a week and then say come vack did this 3 weeks so insist on 2 weeks and also I have 2 weeks work at home for holidays etc