I have been fighting this dreaded bug for something like 14 years now and it keeps coming back, just like that bad penny! I was admitted to hospital to try and contain it again in Aug 2024, but started feeling unwell end Dec and found out in Feb it had returned.
Due to my Bronchiectasis, it does make me feel so Breathless, Wheezy, lots of sputum and extreme tiredness through sheer exhaustion on daily basis and aching muscles.
I've tried the Colomycin through nebuliser last few days as treatment plan but it's made my chest feel so tight and then I panic as can't breathe too well or I'm breathless for an entire day until the next nebs which is currently twice day (I am also having to take 2 puffs Salbultamol before nebs which makes no difference anyway).
Can anyone offer any tips, is the chest tightness normal with Colomycin, what's your experience with Psedomonus??
I have booked a weeks holiday with my children in April and am praying that I keep well and at least be not so breathless so I can walk about. I don't get to go away very much so am looking forward to a short break to Italy.
Thanks for listening folks🥰
Written by
BionicLady
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I had a chest infection caused pseudomonas in November.I was in hospital for 2 weeks getting IV antibiotics. I caught the lurgy going about in January, but didn't contact my hospital till a month later - who gently reminded to contact them immediately next time - (pseudomas found again) but on oral antibiotics this time! I have a tight chest, and exhausted all the time, also breathless all the time. i know that when i got out of hospital the first time i did feel a lot better, so at least this time i am hoping for the same result. I hope you get better soon x
Hello Rosa 17,This bug is really doing the rounds hey! Your symptoms sound exactly like mine, it reacts differently to a regular pneumonia type infection.
Can I ask which oral antibiotics they gave you? I'm allergic to Ciprofloxacin.
hi, ciprofloxian and azithromycin - the ciprofloxian can't be taken at the same time as my lansoprazle, so I needed to set alarms to remind me when and what tablets to take!! I have cystic fibrosis. hope you get the correct medication soon xx
Hi bionic lady. I have been living with pseudomonas as my lodger since 1986. As you must know, once it is in.there, it is in there, lurking even when it doesn't show up on tests. The intention is to keep the numbers low enough to be able to live a normal life and to knock it on the head when it has a party.If cipro loses its effectiveness or really can't be tolerated, 2 weeks of IV to give it a clear out followed by continual nebulised antibiotic is what a bronch specialist would usually do. Azithromycin is not effective against pseudo but its anti inflammatory properties do help.I have nebulised five different antibiotics over the years. Ceftazidime was the best and kept me well with very few exacerbations for 12 years until my lungs took a dislike to it and started spasming (tightness and wheeze) I then tried colomycin but very quickly started having problems. I now can't nebulise anything without getting wheezy and breathless so am back to cipro, with IV if it doesn't work. I have been very lucky and have only a few IVs over the years.
Maybe your consultant could try other antibiotics for you to nebulise to see if your lungs can tolerate one of them.
Do remember that it is so important that we keep getting the rubbish out of our lungs (I know it's tiring when you are unwell) to rob the pseudo of the warm wet atmosphere that it likes to breed in. I hppe that helped a bit.
I have bronchiectasis and pseudomonas and also can't tolerate cipro. Always end up in Hospital for 2 weeks for IV antibiotics. As Swizzy has said, you need to keep your lungs clear as much as possible. I do physio twice a day, laying down and doing active cycle of breathing. Tiring but it helps.
Last March I was put on Azithromycin 250mg, three times a week. This seems to be helping and fingers crossed no IV's since last March, although I whisper this bit as I feel I will tempt fate.
A slight cold seems to knock you sideways and you always wake up thinking, do I need to go to Hospital for IV's?
Just keep clearing your chest and Mr Monus won't have any bedding material to nest on.
Hope you feel better soon. I am sure we will all feel better when we can sit with the warmth of the sun on us. Spring is around the corner.
The dreaded pseudomonas is a right pain. But the main thing is once we are colonised with it is to keep the numbers down as Swizzy says. I find I’m ok with nebulised colomycin twice daily but the minute I get an antibiotic for something such as tooth extraction and taking amoxicillin I find the symptoms of tiredness, sputum changes, breathlessness all get worse. So it’s a balancing game. I’ve raised this with the respiratory consultant and she thinks it’s more coincidental… I’m not so sure as it happened again when I had an ear infection and on other antibiotics. I put a sample in this time as yes pseudomonas again. I’m starting to recognise the symptoms I get with it. To me this pseudomonas will pounce at the slightest opportunity so we need to be on guard and do everything we can to knock it back. Take colomycin, chest clearance, eat well, get enough sleep, try not to overdo it with energy sapping chores, family events etc.
I have nebuliser colomycin for 7 years. I nebulise sabutamol before the colomycin and find that helps with the chest tightness. As Swizzy says there are other antibiotics that you can use so best check with your doctor/nurses. I hope you get well and have a great holiday.
I cant advise on your pseudomonas as I havent suffered with this. Does prednisolone help at all, steroids always seem to help with inflammation when I have an exacerbation . I have used antihistamine when the mucus is just too much perhaps ask your doctor. I hope you get better soon and can enjoy you holiday with family, it's a rare treat nowadays x
I know the with Pseudonomas,for years every time I do a sputum sample it’s there, I’ve tried Colomycen but it didn’t agree with me,the only way I can get rid of it is 3-4 day of IV,hope you enjoy your holiday .
I am in the same situation as yourself, I to became very tight chest and couldn’t breath proper with colomycin, had to stop it. Then put on Promixin through Ineb, have had to stop that as couldn’t breath properly. Just had 10 days of intravenous antibiotics,don’t know if it has helped as yet, I also have non tuberculosis mycobacterium. Not on any antibiotics at the moment, have to wait on results of sputum specimens and ct scan. Hope you find something you can have without feeling so breathless. Good luck.
Hi VirginOil,Thanks for the response, sorry to hear you're feeling the same way, this thing is so tiring day to day, the breathlessness whilst trying to work, look after children etc csn be quite full on.
I'm pleased to be off the Colomycin, my doctors haven't given me a solution but to continue Prophylaxis treatment of Doxycyclin and then Co Trimoxazole if I become really unwell, poor show to be honest!
Hello ooh you are having a bad time of it. I have recently been diagnosed with pseudomonas and was put on 14 day course of ciprofloxacin, about 5 days in I got tendonitis which is a side effect so was told to stop taking the drug. They were going to give me a different drug but decided instead to do a second sputum test which I'm still waiting results of. Feel exhausted yet sleeping all the time limited appetite. I have an underlying lung condition so am also a bit wheezy and am on oxygen 24/7. A question when you say you have IV antibiotics do you have to be admitted to hospital? When flu on lots of wards I'm not keen to be admitted. Has anyone have IVas a daily patient or at home? In the UK please.
Thank you for responding. I also got tendonitis from Cipro, I believe this is very common but I am pleased it was caught in time, I had no idea what was going on, I have vague recollection of the whole episode as it must have been around 15 or so years ago.
Your symptoms sounds exactly like mine, the breathlessness is the hardest thing to deal with whilst trying to work and manage the children and to top it all, I'm a poor sleeper.
I usually need to be admitted, I am unable to have IV at home due to another health problem.
What have your doctors recommended you do, are you on another treatment plan?
Hello there, I have bronchiectasis with permanent pseudomonas colonised in my lungs, so I constantly feel exhausted, plus sinus symptoms ie lots of mucous from there to add to the mucous already in my lungs. I find that two sessions of hard work to clear the chest (about 30 minutes each time) goes a long way to keep it at bay, i take carbocisteine , 4 each day although they make my digestive problems worse I put up with that. I also do steam breathing twice a day which helps a lot with the sinus issues. I haven't yet needed intravenous antibiotics, i have so far had really bad infections once a year around February time, requiring ciprofloxin tablets which so far have dampened it down sufficiently. I must say though, that I do not socialise much, I am now 71 and my husband and I have decided not to mix very much because that reduces the likeliness of getting something else in my lungs as well as the problems I've already got. Not sure if any of my rambling helps you at all, but sometimes its useful to hear what others are doing.
Hi Pepsi003,Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Sorry to hear about sinus problems on top of everything else. I hear you with the exhaustion and breathlessness, the stairs to my flat are becoming such a challenge for me.
Really good to hear you haven't had IVs, it means you are doing something right, perhaps I will try the steaming, good tip😁
This is why it's good to share.
Please do take care of yourself and keep up the good work, stay well x
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Hi everyone ive been suffering now for 3 years and im left confused and dont no what to do or think Ive been admitted 3 times in hospital
The dreaded bug got me 
