Mild bronchiectasis was diagnosed in both lower lobes (but only partially) one week post-infection.
Had pneumonia also 11 months prior - many chest infections in previous years.
Questions:
Could the mil bronchiectasis be pseudo-bronchiectasis as it was found during the current infection?
Will I have this annoying cough forever now? (it comes and goes) and is this still the pneumonia or is this BT ? I did not have any cough before this recent pneumonia diagnosis.
Are there any mild cases out there who go long periods without symptoms? I am hoping for this but feeling sad right now that I'm still coughing at times .....
I'm back teaching and my doctor has advicsed to exercise lots for my lungs. At what point do I know when to stop? I am tired all the time but doctor says I need to go exercise ! I am playing field hockey which is great, but wow I'm getting 8 hours sleep (I get up at 545am for work) and I'm still soooo tired.
Thanks for reading this far! 😀
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PETeacherSGblue
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I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis about twenty years ago and between infections have had no symptoms so it is possible!
Now, unfortunately, I am colonised by Pseudonomas and things seem to have changed but this may not happen to you. I’m sure you will regain your strength after the Pneumonia which is very debilitating. Wishing you the best.
Thank you for your reply! Great to hear you had lots of times without symptoms! Sorry for the pseudonomas. How often do you or did you tend to get infections?
All I can say is that it took at least 3 months to recover from each bout of pneumonia in my past. It took longer to rebuild my immune system to help with keeping well. Yes exercise is important but not by force before your body has recovered.
Pace yourself , I'm not a doctor however MODERATION in my experience little and often is the order of my day.
Pneumonia takes some getting over. It is important to exercise, which u love. U will get stronger + fatigue should ease,in coming weeks.a dr once said to me whn ill with pneumonia" Yr going to feel washed out,like a wet lettuce for nx cpl of months".Yr only5wks post infection.take it easy,build up gradually x
I have Bi-basal bronchiectasis, COPD and mild to moderate heart failure. I believe the bronch. was caused by a long period with a chest infection by Staphylloccus Aureus (March to November 2014), sorted by an intravenous AB, as oral AB's did not touch it. I blame my surgery for not getting me looked at by the hospital sooner.
At that time I used to have chest infections one after the other. Kept a diary in 2017 and counted 18 chest infections that year. Except for a 10 day stay in hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy, since mid 2018 I have had NO chest infections. I put this down to the eradication of Black Mould found all over our bathroom floor during the change from a bath to a walk-in shower. The mould, caused by a leaky bath drain, was probably there when we moved into our home in August 2013, and maybe the cause of all those infections. I also think that my heart failure could have been caused by the pneumonia/ pleurisy stint. The heart failure is the thing that now restricts my ability to do anything physical, rather than my lung problems, which are well controlled by medication.
I think teaching is probably prolonging the cough. Unfortunately, using our voices and how we use our voices in teaching is incredibly important, but definitely irritates our vocal chords and causes a cough to last longer than it should. I worked during numerous chest infections and the coughing was terrible, especially in the evening and at night. I had pneumonia for some weeks, before it was diagnosed at the hospital, where I had gone to try and obtain some anti-biotics. It was after pneumonia that I got over-inflated lungs, which have contributed to my breathlessness. Yes, exercise and diet are important, but I feel you need a few weeks off from work to fully recover. You are pushing yourself too much. Teaching is a very demanding and very physical job. It is hard to take time off work when you are teaching, due to this feeling of dedication we have for our pupils and exams etc., but I think your recovery would be a lot faster with a few more weeks off and better for everyone in the long run.
Are you doing breathing exercises twice daily to assist in removing mucus from your lungs. Many people who have varying degrees of Bx use albuterol nebs to open tiny air sacs followed by 3% or 7% saline nebs to help moisturizing the mucous to assist in lung clearance. AerobiKa is an exercise device used in conjunction with albuterol and saline nebs. The goal is to decrease spread of Bronchiectasis and to prevent opportunistic drug resistant bacteria . Be cautious In taking antibiotics before sputum cultures which show what antibiotic will be effective. This is to again prevent drug resistant bacteria. You should have a pulmonologist who specializes in Bronchiectasis. Research this disease thoroughly as you are your own advocate in managing this disease. I hope this is helpful.
No-one on this site is medically qualified. We can only advise you on lifestyle. Make sure the exercise you take is very gentle until your body starts to strengthen. There are various programs of seated exercises on the web, aimed mainly at 'seniors', which might be more suitable in your present condition. Hockey -lovely game though it is-sounds too strenuous to me- no wonder you're tired. good luck. xxx
Hello t o you all! thank you for all your replies. I saw my doctor today to ask the same questions. Perhaps ihe is a very forward thinking doctor, or perhaps my case is very mild, but he is very sure that I need to get right back to hockey and play like I usually do as it will help clear out my lungs and keep them clear. I did take FOUR weeks off of school to recover, but I think back to my usual days of school, before I was sick, and actually , I always feel this tired, waking up at 530am, getting 3 kids out of the door with me by 630, school day, ferrying kids around after school, I think I will never not be tired at the moment - IF i keep up the day job, which I love .....so perhaps I need to get used to it , as I feel GREAT when I do manage to exercise. I love my doc, but I will make sure I read my body too! Thank you again for all your replies! and yes, I use a Philips respirator device at night, and am taking meds for acid reflux..... Be safe xx
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