"Lassitude"

I have never had a chest infection all my life as far as I know.

But I had lots of bouts of tonsillitis in my teens and sinusitis in early adulthood.just wondering why it’s raised it’s ugly head now.

I had a bad cold in April and the cough started after that. Surely it’s not that simple?

Well unless it was worse than it sounds it does sound unusual. How were you diagnosed? X-ray? Scan? Have you seen a specialist? Second opinion?

X-ray was normal, but then th CT scan showed minor BX according to the respiratory Consultant.

I was due to go on holiday to Costa Rica for Christmas so I thought I’d better get it checked in case I was deemed not fit to fly.

I went back to my GP and asked if he thought it was a misdiagnosis.

He was absolutely certain it was BX.

He said CT scans these days are really accurate.

Mind you the cough I had was the worst thing I’d ever had.

Couldn’t stop but it was a dry hacking cough , like somebody on 40 a day Woodbines but with no plegm!

That’s why I went back to my GP after the scan.

The cough is intermettent now but pretty bad when I get it.

Perhaps I’m a rarity🤣🤣🤣

I have only recently heard of dry bronchiectasis...sounds like what you've got. Really sorry - I hoped they might have made a mistake. CT scans are very accurate. I'd never had a really perfect diagnosis until I went to the Brompton Hospital in 1989 and had a CT scan and there it was no doubt about it. I had indeed had bx all those years. And CT scans then we're rubbish to what they are now I've been told. Hope that come the better weather you'll feel much better. X

Thanks😊

Actually I forgot to say that a couple or more years ago I was plagued with really itchy insides of my ears and in my throat.

I had loads of tests , investigations but nothing.

Then about 6 months ago some bright spark , possibly my pharmasist said ... sounds like an allergy to me!

Started on Loratadine anti hist. tablets.

Nothing🙁

Then another bright spark said try another so I tried Beconase (cetirizine)

Tablets had no effect but the nose spray did.

Anyway I now take the spray twice a day and the symptoms are controlled

I mentioned this last week to the lead respiratory consultant who is a BX expert and he said well that’s it.

You’ve also got the post nasal drip and that what’s causing the BX

This was after I queried the cause of the BX as like I  said to you I’d never had a chest infection and so what could be causing it!

Just been in the shower and remembered all of that ( because my ears were itching  and I needed my dose of Beconase spray )  so I suppose I was misleading you.

Sorry , not intentional😟

I would love to know what I’m allergic to.  It is possibly my cat, but I’ve had cats all my life so who knows🐈

Thanks for listening

I had a lovely moggy but had allergy tests and I discovered I was allergic to him, also dogs, feathers, dust, dust mites, milk, tree pollen, mould spores....yawn yawn. And I have permanent post-nasal drip.

We're a tough lot - we just her on truckin'.

Fantasticjudyan...

I can identify with the itchy ears business. I had it for years and years and nobody knew the answer. I went for a hearing test and asked what she thought about my red sore ears were? It's an allergy she said... I set about identifying what was I intolerant to that I was eating on a regular basis. Answer (for me!) WHEAT. I stopped eating it and my ears returned to normal fairly quickly. I also find the DAIRY gives me very sore itchy eyes. 

I too am allergic to animal fur and feathers, dust mite and a myriad of other things!!  

Thanks Opera and Janet 

I feel like I’m not on my own now..... really useful info.

I’ve heard tho’ that allergy testing is a minefield How did you do it....

Having said that my cat ain’t going nowhere but I’ll exchange the feather duvet for man made  if necessary!!

X

My allergy testing was done by my respiratory consultant. To be honest she didn't discover anything I didn't already know, mainly by allergic rhinitis. I lived on antihistamine meds for more years than I care to remember,,,

I certainly couldn't live with cats or dogs. Mid November we stayed in a hotel absolutely full of feathers...duvets, pillows and cushions!! I had a big attack of rhinitis but it didn't affect my breathing.    

You're not wrong about allergy testing but I had the old-fashioned "prick" test done at the Brompton. This is where they inject under your skin with various substances and wait to see if a raised mark appears. I had raised bumps for almost everything especially dust mites. I was told that this wasn't what caused my bronchiectasis but it would exacerbate the symptoms. Sigh...what on Earth can you do to avoid dust? It's everywhere!

Yes dust mite is a biggie for me too. In reality my BX seems to have been caused by whopping cough aged 4, pneumonia aged 13, a wheezy chest and many bouts of bronchitis throughout my childhood and adult life. To add to my woes...both my parents and my brother and two sisters smoked. I never smoked in my life. My siblings have no breathing problems....what can I say? (My mum died from emphysema aged 76)

Hi both 

I’ve heard that rhinitis can be non allergenic.

Maybe that’s what I’ve got ..... no sneezing or runny nose  like most people get with hay fever.

I’m wondering if it’s worth getting allergy tested if it doesn’t make any difference to the BX

Will think about it over the next couple of days.🤔🤔

You guys are absolute stars........ thank you so much for your support and information🤒😷🤧😴

Good morning y'all

I'd like to clarify a couple of points raised in all these posts.

1. Post nasal drip does not cause BX. If it did, 90% of the world would have BX, including kids aged 3 and 4. But the drip can compound the problem. Best to treat that one way or another.

2. Please understand that this disease is more than just widened passages. This is important to understand so that we take it seriously. It is areas that no longer function properly, termed "dead" areas by docs because in those areas the motion function is now gone. Normally the lungs work to move out things that shouldn't be there such as phlegm, pollen, dust etc. These dead areas then become perfect breeding grounds for bad stuff because in there it's dark, moist, and stagnant. Thus, proper breathing and clearance techniques are crucial so we replace some of that lost motility several times daily.

3. We aren't always aware when we have the infection that sets us up for BX. Sometimes we think it was just a bad cold or sinus infection.

4. Sinusitis can be part of causation.

Do everything you can to maintain all the lung function you have. Exercise as you are able but also let yourself recuperate fully when necessary.

Sinusitis is the worst and I have had it all my life. You are quite right in all you say - I was merely simplifying matters. I mentioned the widening of the airways to show the physical aspect of bronchiectasis - no good expecting it to go away because damage has been done. And now I am going out for a walk.

Hi aitarg

Thank you for that.

Just to be clear , are you saying that something else could have caused my BX without my knowing, rather than the post nasal drip that my consultant said?

Is the PND just an aggravation ?

Could a really bad cold, not on the chest, have caused this.?   If so why now and not previously.

I hope you don’t mind me picking your brains, or anybody else’s for that matter but I am becoming increasingly baffled and confused as to how this has occurred.

As discussed earlier, it isn’t a misdiagnosis because CT scans are so accurate these days.

🤔🤔🤔🤔

Just another thought.

I was a smoker in early adulthood for about 5 years.

I gave up when I was 35.

As I understand it ,the damage done by that  virtually disappears after 10 years so surely that can’t be the cause as I am now 67?

Can somebody correct me if I am wrong here please?