not sure what prognosis for a non-cf ... - Lung Conditions C...
not sure what prognosis for a non-cf person with pseudomonas a. infection (due to bronchiectasis) might be? length, quality of life?
Nearly normal so long as you exercise, take your medications, have a positive attitude and at the first hint of an infection contact your Dr. You also need to get the best treatment by fighting for it if necessary.
I agree with above. I became colonised with pseudamonas about 8 years ago and had two or three flareups a year, until two years ago when I started nebulised antibiotics. I have had one each winter since.
It is so important that you deal with it asap and get the best treatment. You must keep your lungs clear and healthy - lots of regular clearance activities, exercise is a great help in this. If I could go back to that time I would have 1) insisted on the gp sending a sample to the lab at the start 2) stopped rushing around with work 3) listened to what my body was telling me and 4) increased my physio.
Pseudamonas is a devil to get rid of. Many healthy people have it in their lungs but for us it is a real problem. Young gp's often tell me ' oh it's not a problem, don't worry, everyone has it'- but for me it IS a problem so I always challenge their thinking. Many of them don't understand bronchiectasis.
I agree with the others- I had pseudomonas too, for how long I don't know but when I had breast cancer treatment it showed up and was a devil to get rid of- lots of IV and six months oral antibiotics. Now my chest is clear and I am really well but I do my physio every day and get my sputum checked if I feel ill.
Does pseudoma show up in sputum tests? Ta julie
Julie K- yes it does, but I was told that sometimes other bacteria may hide it. So if you have bronchiectasis you may need to treat all other infections on top before they find the pseudomonas! It does take time to do this but luckily I'm tolerant of most anti-biotics, so although it took time we got there in the end. I was on daily doses for 6 months- but I'd never felt better. I'm afraid coughing up the crud every morning with the help of physio (breathing exercises) and a flutter device becomes a way of life. Still on the go though!
