Exaccerbation

[sidebottom1]

Not long after congratulating myself on not having had an exaccerbation since a week in hospital October 2013, am just experiencing the most intense one ever. Now in fourth week and had Prednisalone twice , Doxicyclene antibiotic and at the moment almost finished Co-Amoxiclav antibiotic. None of these have had much effect so far.A sputum test was sent Monday 9th June, no results yet.Sputum not coloured (which is unusual) .Wondered if anyone has had similar experience ??

[kimmy59]

Afternoon.

So sorry to hear your not well, how annoying after all this time. My sputum never changes colour or shows anything, I had three last time and it was a blood test confirmed an infection. I had all this with it not clearing I was prescribed Azithromycin in the end, that was December.

Hope you feel better soon.

Kim xxx

[sidebottom1 in reply to kimmy59]

Thanks for your reply.Has the Azithromycin been effective ??

[kimmy59 in reply to sidebottom1]

Yes it has 6 months without an infection. I've not long finished my PR and I walked 10% further and faster my SATS were improved and I've put on weight. At my oxygen assessment we discussed me not using my concentrator every night, I was very happy about that and then the blood testing machine broke down. I just keep everything crossed it continues.

Kim xxxxx

[sidebottom1 in reply to kimmy59]

Thanks for the helpful info. I hope you continue to improve.

[Hidden]

Aww I know where your coming from..I have had numerous exacerbations over the past few months with no coloured sputum or infection..I was told" its just one of those things" and a worsening of the disease.

I am still on steroids from last attack,I have found that certain things will bring on attacks,I hope you feel better soon. Take care Laura

[sidebottom1 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for replying.It seems there is a similarity, I wondered what sort of things bring on attacks ??

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

There lies the difficulty .... is it infection exacerbation or just the worsening of disease.... ? We need to find better ways to understand it...eg as above blood test for better identification of infections including fungal that don't show in sputum.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Who knows Julie..I have a chest infection at present and was told its viral.tut I can honestly say I was coping well up until 2yrs ago no exacerbations and out of the blue I have had over 18 in a year, I think damp spores played a huge part where I am concerned and seem to be on a downward slope...I was told I deteriorated so fast as its a worsening of the disease......I don't know what to think any more.I was also told every exacerbation damages your lung a bit more..Wonder if that's true? I do know that your health can just change in a whisper, and that's what happened with me and I often wondered if it was fungal to start with..Take care....

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

We gotta try avoiding triggers and bugs eh. Hope you feeling much better soon. You taking stuff to reduce inflammation...eg herbs manuka honey ? X

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I can see from your profile,you have the same,I don't know much about herbs etc and would be grateful for advice..I am still in the throws of this chest infection, I was scared senseless as I had trouble breathing when I woke up,, took half hour before I stopped panicking...I seem to improve as the day goes on..I hope you are as well as can be..Do you have exacerbations Julie?What herbs and things do you try..x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes I have exacerbations .... seems more difficult to get rid of infections and even to identify in first place. Though exacerbations can be just increased inflammation from some trigger or other ! Rotten eh. On herbs I do see they make a bit of a difference to breathing and inflammation ... I see a medical herbalist and take her prescription that includes astragalus elecampagne lobelia etc. also get Lung support tablets on internet from reputable suppliers eg tibetanherbs.com. also takeNAC tabs. Just started on Oralmat ... seems already to be helping. all worth a go I think to see if they help you. Hope you feel better soon x

[Hidden]

It can be anything from ciggy smoke, pollen, dust, anxiety,I dont think the docs know even.It seems to me its an advancement of copd ..re you a smoker hun? keep smiling x

[sidebottom1 in reply to Hidden]

No, I dont smoke, but I thing you are correct about the disease progression.Its something all of us have to face, we just hope it will be a slow process.Thanks for your interest. I hope you keep well.

[Hidden in reply to sidebottom1]

It is and as it progresses the breathlessness gets worse, its a bitch of a disease but we just keep on top of it we have to..Please keep being optimistic and exercise as much as you can.Providing you have no heart disease,a little exercise is good for you...Keep smiling Laura x

[hopetorun]

hi sorry to hear you are not too well at the moment. I have been having a similar problem except my sputum is thick and green and has been for 2 months. but according to the hospital no infection. I believe it has something to do with fungal infection which is not being picked up and acid reflux irritating my tubes. I am struggling on an off to do physical things but given up on the antibiotics and steroids it has not made any difference.

I dont seem to be getting any worse so just carry on as usual. Good luck I hope you get sorted out soon best wishes Irene

[Worzel12]

I am having the exact same problem as you - worst exacerbation ever - five weeks now and have been treated with the same drugs. Have just come out of hospital after 5 days and am on the last of the course of prednisolone (which I hate taking because it makes my whole body shake for hours) and 3 more days of Docycycline. The amoxicillin didn't work. Clear sputum and like you, this is unusual for me.

The worst thing, I find, is the dramatic increase in breathlessness and the effort involved in the simplest tasks.

I'm not too bad at rest, but getting up and down and walking about is really enervating, but I know that it is imperative to keep moving, so I am doing very gentle exercise in short bursts.

I do hope we both get better soon.

Let us know how you get on.

Wishing you the very best.

Annie

[sidebottom1 in reply to Worzel12]

Thank you for info.There are some similarities here, and as you say the increased breathlessness is the most frightening.Hope you recover soon

[notlocal]

Sympathy from someone in the same position. Tomorrow my infection is 5 weeks old. On my second round of Amoxy and Pred. Thick, heavy phlegm though and bad, very bad sob. I am so bored of this.

[sidebottom1 in reply to notlocal]

I can sympathise with you and trust you see an improvement soon.

[mcnally]

I was exactly the same from january through till april, could not shake what i thought was a head cold off, then in a matter of hours I became so bad I thought it was the end. I was in hospital for a week and was given every medication going I think then in the end was told it was viral and anti would not help. I was sent home with respitory team who were great and now, after just returning from crete I feel really good. I think maybe I just needed that little hospital visit xx stay strong xx

[sidebottom1 in reply to mcnally]

Thank you for that.I was in Hospital three times last year, but have managed to stay clear so far this year.I wasnt too far off this last few weeks,but hopefully things will improve. As for overseas holidays,I am afraid Insurance premiums make that impossible, so enjoy while you can.

[dwitt]

Predniisalone not great for diabetics like any steroid. Wish there was drugs in a category for my type II