1. Community
  2. Chest and lungs
  3. Bronchiectasis

Advice on coping with bronchiectasis

Posted , 8 users are following.

elizabeth90709
elizabeth90709

hello i have Bronchiectasis , I am having constant chest infections and am now on long term antibiotics , not sleeping well as wheezing keeps me awake , then bouts of coughing, any help or advice in coping with  Bronchiectasis would be very grateful. Please help 

2 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

Next
  • pinksnugsy
    pinksnugsy elizabeth90709

    Posted

    Hi Elizabeth

    Are you on the correct inhaler? If you're still wheezy & coughing it could be that your preventative inhaler isn't working for you. Other things to consider are anti allergy pillows/quilt/matress. Also hoovering your matress regularly will help.

    Are you nebulizer anti biotics? I was allergic to one anti biotic which made my chest worse ie wheezing & coughing.

    Hope this helps

    Rachel

    • elizabeth90709
      elizabeth90709 pinksnugsy

      Posted

      Hello pinksnugsy ,thank you for your reply ,being new to this forum I was not sure if I would've a reply. I am not on a inhaler at he moment but seriously wondering if I need one, Physio has just been arranged so hopefully this will help , I am just finishing a two week course of antibiotics and start with long term antibiotic treatment three times a week next .

      its great to talk don't feel so alone keep in touch 

      regards 

      Liz 

    • pinksnugsy
      pinksnugsy elizabeth90709

      Posted

      Hi liz

      I'm shocked you don't have inhalers. They are crucial if you have asthma or lung conditions. Please go & see your gp & ask for a referral to a chest consultant. This forum is brilliant for advice. I stumbled across it one night when I couldn't sleep (due to coughing). Are you living in the UK?

      Rachel x

    • elizabeth90709
      elizabeth90709 pinksnugsy

      Posted

      Hello Rachel,  yes I live in the Uk, and also stumbled across the forum last night due to not sleeping because of the constant coughing, I have just arranged for a prescription for an inhaler (I have had them befor) so with that and the new antibiotics Azithromycin (long term) I may feel the benefits shortly 

      Liz

      xx

  • jackie14837
    jackie14837 elizabeth90709

    Posted

    Hi Elizebeth , not meaning to sound boring but are you doing your phsyo regular. This really does help. Also my consultant has put me on high sodium through the nebulizer and this too helps a lot. 
    • elizabeth90709
      elizabeth90709 jackie14837

      Posted

      Hello Jackie , thanks for your reply , it's good to talk, Physio has just been arranged for me so hopefully it wil be in place very soon. I will also ask about a nebuliser .

      Regards 

      Liz

    • pinksnugsy
      pinksnugsy elizabeth90709

      Posted

      Liz ask about an acapella this is a physio instrument that helps clear the mucus off yr lungs. I think you can buy them on line if yr physio dept can't supplynne one ?

    • tabatha84296
      tabatha84296 jackie14837

      Posted

      Hi, Jackie,  can u tell me please how much is high sodium you are taking?  Does it come prepackaged or u mix yourself or what?  I need a better idea than I've had of how much to take in nebulizer.  My doctor just threw out a casual 'oh 1/2 tspn.in a cup' but it sounded very casual and I want to know the quantities other people take.

      Thank you.

      Tabatha

    • jackie14837
      jackie14837 tabatha84296

      Posted

      Hi tabatha I take nebusal 7 hypertonic sodium chloride solution, this is in valves for the nebulizer. It can only be perscription from the consultant at the hospital as you have to have a trial test with it at the hospital. Its not ordinary sodium. 
    • tabatha84296
      tabatha84296 jackie14837

      Posted

      OK, thank you.  I guess he's not going to give me a script as he says I can make my own with table salt.  he didn't even tell me to use distilled water.

      Tabatha

    • jackie14837
      jackie14837 tabatha84296

      Posted

      Are you under a consultant? You should be for bronchiectais. It's the hospital consultant that perscribes this for you not the doctor. And he will only do this if he feels nessarsary. Not everyone with bronchiectais has this . 

    • elizabeth90709
      elizabeth90709 pinksnugsy

      Posted

      Hi Pinksnugsy thanks for the info , will ask about it when I se the Physio 

      Lizx

    • tabatha84296
      tabatha84296 jackie14837

      Posted

      What country are u in?  I'm in the USA and I have a Pulm. specialist, yes.

    • tabatha84296
      tabatha84296 jackie14837

      Posted

      Things work a bit differently there I've picked up.  

      Over here, at least the State I live in, we have what is called a Hospitalist. Crazy name.  And he's the doctor who is with the hospital, who works at the hospital all the time and checks us in and checks us out and checks on us while in the hospital IF our own doctor is not affiliated with the hospital.  In that case he cannot do those things.

      I had a Hospitalist one time I think it was for pneumonia but I did have a Pulmo. specialist who told me I had to get into the hospital right away and he pulled some strings so I wouldn't have to go thru the ER BUT it was the Hospitalist who still signed me in and I wasn't happy with that at all as it was new to me but it turned out OK except I had to wait for him to come and check me out and he was checking on lots of other patients and it took a long time.  In that hosp. stay my Pulmo specialist did come and check on me every day as he was affiliated with that hospital.  It was and probably still is very confusing.   But it's different from what I detect you have in the UK.    DO you have specialist doctors outside the hospital too or not?  Do you go for doctor visits at the hospital??

    • jackie14837
      jackie14837 tabatha84296

      Posted

      Over here when we are ill we go to the doctors and he referrers us to a consultant who deals with ie lung problems at the hospital . I now go to the hospital for regular visits with my consultant . I do go to my own doctor or as we say GP to get antibiotics for cheast infections . The hospital always send letters to my Doctor about my bronchiectasis . Hope that explains it ok for you 
    • tabatha84296
      tabatha84296 jackie14837

      Posted

      Yes, Jackie, thank you.  Your primary or GP is outside the hospital and your specialists are the 'consultants' who are at the hospital.  It makes sense and they don't have to go to the hospital every day for their patients.  Make the patients come to them.  Good idea.  My niece and family has moved to London so I'll probably be hearing about these differences.

      Tabatha

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.