My husband has had COPD for 8 years now and for the past few years we have been able to go abroad on our holidays.
For the past two years my husband felt his breathing was getting worse (not on oxygen) so we decided to have our holidays in England. Everything was fine until the first week in January 2012. We both got a cold and since then everything has gone down hill. We are both coughing up all this gunk non-stop, but my husband is finding it absolutely terrifying as with his breathing problems due to COPD he is being choked with the gunk in his throat and cannot get rid of it as he has not got a strong enough cough to be able to cough it up.
He has now had pneumonia three times this year and was diagnosed with Bronchiectosis which is a different illness to COPD but when you have them at the same time you just cannot breathe. He has now a nebuliser and oxygen at home and our life as come to a complete stop. The silly thing about this is I have also been diagnosed with Bronchiectosis but I am able to cough all the gunk up and feel as fit as a fiddle.
Is Bronchiectosis caused by a virus or bacteria and how on earth can you get rid of it or are you stuck with it once you have got it.
When my husband had COPD on it's own his breathing was poor but he was not choked up with gunk, even the oxygen does not help him now has it cannot get past the phlegm in his throat.
The physio is going to let us buy an instrument called the Acapello which vibrates in his chest to remove the gunk.
I would be interested if anyone knows how Bronchiectosis starts and can it be cured once you have it. My husband will not die of being breathless he will die of being choked with the phlegm in his throat.