sample results

[Osha]

I took a sample of sputum recently. The results came back as normal. Having broncheactesis and COPD. I wonder what is normal’ I have yellow sputum which is not normal surly. Does anyone understand this result ? Hope someone can help

[janedivney]

Hello, Osha. It means no infection was found. Coloured sputum is caused by the number of white blood cells present, as a result of inflammation which is often (but not always) caused by infection. If it’s infection, it could be viral or bacterial. Many of us have a lot of inflammation in our lungs & therefore our sputum is always yellow.

[Osha in reply to janedivney]

Thank you janediveny Very very clear and good info. Everyday I learn something new on this forum. In fact it’s better than listening to a doctor!

[Swizzy]

These tests are so unreliable. Especially for us bronchs. I have just had 2 weeks I V in spite of every test coming back normal, because I felt unwell and the sputum wasn't it's normal colour. It has made a huge difference. We bronchs should go more by how we feel and whether the sputum has changed and so should our doctors. It really is time that GPs put less reliance on lab tests and listened to their patients.

[janedivney in reply to Swizzy]

I agree the most important thing is to go by how we feel. Also, the amount and consistency of sputum as well as its colour. And we need to make sure it’s being tested for unusual bacteria as well as the common ones! I try & avoid my local path lab because I don’t trust their results. I send samples to the Brompton instead, and if they say nothing was grown then I wait & see how I feel. There are some bacteria which take many weeks to grow

[Osha in reply to Swizzy]

Thank swizzle. I never had any idea that lab results could be unreliable. I’m 80 and still learning!

[Swizzy in reply to Osha]

I have been lucky in that my consultant was trained by the man who whilst he was my consultant taught the rest of the world that bronch existed, especially at a conference in Las Vegas in 1986 when he took them all on. He was researching bronch, especially the basis for the new drug that is being trialled, when most places lumped us in with general respiratory. Due to him, other hospitals started getting expertise and many bronch specialists began to train. My present con is joint chairman of the BTS. They both believe in sharing their knowledge with their patients which is invaluable with a condition like ours which is complex and needs that patient to be 'on top' of its vissisitudes.

[xcindyx in reply to Swizzy]

Swizzy, I do agree with you. Before I was diagnosed I felt terrible but doc said no infection so no antibiotics. I became bedridden with chest pain and cough and had to go private, pay £497 for a chest CT to find out what I had. I think they are told not to prescribe them or only a few days.

[Swizzy in reply to xcindyx]

There is so much ignorance about bronch amongst GPs and also some general respiratory consultants. Antibiotics for bronch have to be a high dose and for two weeks. This is clear in the bronch guidelines as is the use of IV and nebulised antibiotics. It is up to us to educate our medics. You really need to get under the care of a true bronch specialist who is trained and experienced in bronch. They also have access to to hospital facilities, their own physios and often a bronch trained nurse. Most importantly they will advise your GP on which abs to give you. You should have a rescue pack of abs to take when you recognise that you have an exacerbation. Although GPs do not like to admit that they know nothing about bronch to their patients, it has been my experience that they are grateful of the help from a bronch con.

The idea of too much use of antibiotics in bronch is ridiculous and anybody who is told this should be very suspicious of the knowledge and training of the person telling them this. People with bronchiectasis bear no relation to ‘normal’ people who get a chest infection. Neither are they tha same as those with copd who require different abs in different doses for varied courses. We need abs in the doses that we do to stop exacerbations resulting in pneumonia and worse, to more lung damage.

Bronch specialists can be found at large teaching hospitals. Find a name, take the name to the GP and insist on a referral. You can also phone the specialist’s secretary and ask if they will take you on. Faced with that, your GP will find it difficult to refuse to refer. In any case, they cannot refuse. Do not take no for an answer.

We have to be very proactive in our own interests and vociferous in sourcing the right treatment. I can provide an instance of this when recently my consultant at the QE in Bham decided that I needed home IV but the OPAT teams there and at my local hospital which is ten mins away from me were both refusing to help me, for all sorts of nefarious reasons. I wrote furious emails to my GP, consultant and the local hospital. I made myself very unpopular with the OPAT teams but was speedily taken on by the team at the local hospital. Once I was with them they were fabulous. Professional, friendly and caring.

This is not only for you but for every patient who suffers neglect and feel intimidated.

[Xlizixx in reply to Swizzy]

Thank you Swizzy. most grateful for your help. I have an appt with bronch specialist nurses next month. I am so sorry to hear about you having to fight to get treatment, I am tired of fighting now. To keep being told there is nothing wrong with me and being given cough mixture and being told I was depressed just too much to take, I did feel intimidated yes. I will also look for a specialist in bronch.

[Swizzy]

Yes after a lifetime of bronch 74 years, I think the same as you. My consultant of 20 yrs at the QE Bham where they have v good labs doesn't even trust their own tests because pseudomonas can disguise itself by coating itself and joining together with other bacteria which give something that it is not possible to pick up. Crafty little beggars!

[LissacFrance]

It all depends on what the lab was looking for. My wife`s muck is usually yellowish and it is only when it becomes grren does she send off a sputim test.

[Numptybrain in reply to LissacFrance]

My consultant was convinced I didn’t have an infection even though the X-ray showed consolidation. I didn’t feel unwell just pain in my chest, that could have been from bilateral pleural effusion’s. I then handed a sputum sample in that showed pneumonia bacteria so 2 weeks antibiotic for me, this seems a regular thing, I recently had a kleb bacterium.

Take care

Wendy xx

[PurpleEllie]

Hi, the last Bronchiectasis webinar was absolutely brilliant when it came to explaining sputum colour. I always, wrongly, assumed that the colour was to do with infection when in fact it is due to inflammation. The more inflamed the lungs are the darker the colour. It is then down to what is causing the inflammation, the reason we provide sputum samples. This truly was a light bulb moment for me as my sputum is never white (normal). Unfortunately I am an “allergic” person so all sorts of things inflame my lungs not necessarily infection. Hope this explanation helps. Take care.

[Osha in reply to PurpleEllie]

Thank you PurpleEllie another very good piece of information. Never too old to learn!

This forum is just so good

[Chinadoll81]

No I can't. I also had a sputum sample declared negative. Also yellow in colour. Now I'm coughing more than ever!!!

[Jaybird19]

it would e interesting to know how long the cultures are incubated for-- overnight or more ?

[Patk1 in reply to Jaybird19]

They're usually back within 2-3 days.i was told the process now is speeded up by addition of chemicals,that cut time needed down.im very dubious x

[Walkonthewildside]

The last sputum sample I provided came back as normal (I have Bronchiectasis). I was advised that I didn’t need antibiotics but should take a short course of steroids (prednisolone). I was quite cynical but this approach did work. I didn’t know that the colour of the sputum indicates the level of inflammation. This forum has a wealth of knowledge, thank you!