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BBX

Posted , 6 users are following.

Papillion
Papillion

Had three ct scan I have BX I know that.  Phelgm all the time.   Muscus plugs.   Now my doctor wants me to go for bronchoscope has anyone had that test.    Also is it safe to take antibiotic for rest of our lives.    Thanks

1 like, 16 replies

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  • Operalyn
    Operalyn Papillion

    Posted

    A bronchoscope is very safe. It's just a diagnostic tool to check what is happening in your lungs.

    I have had bronchiectasis for 68 years and have taken tons on antibiotics during that time. I'm still here!

    Try not to worry - trust your doctors.

  • vickylou
    vickylou Papillion

    Posted

    I was only diagnosed with bronchiectasis the other day when I got the results of my CT scan.

    I had a Bronchoscopy a couple of years ago. Whilst it’s uncomfortable, it’s not painful and not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I had a 20mg Diazapam tablet beforehand, not that it did much good.

    The result was NAD (nothing abnormal discovered) Two years later and umpteen chest infections and antibiotics, the CT scan showed bronchiectasis.

    Ive been told I only need antibiotics if I get a chest infection, so I’ve no idea about taking them for life.

  • Operalyn
    Operalyn Papillion

    Posted

    I only take antibiotics when I get an infection. I keep a home supply so I can start them as soon as an infection begins.

    Some people take azythromycin which is an antibiotic, three times a week as a preventative measure. It helps some people very much. Unfortunately the side effects were awful for me so this was an unsuitable treatment.

    Antibiotics are the only really effective treatment for infections and getting lots of infections is part of having bronchiectasis.

    • arlys421943
      arlys421943 Operalyn

      Posted

      I take Azithromycin 3x a week as well. What are your side effects? My doctor said it was more fore inflammation than infection.
    • aitarg35939
      aitarg35939 Papillion

      Posted

      The phlegm is due to the disease. Whether it's the AB or a mucolytic that brings up the phlegm, getting it up & out is a good thing.

    • Papillion
      Papillion aitarg35939

      Posted

      I live in New York.    Everyone in the UK know some much more.    Plus being very nice about answering questions.     My ct shows atypical infection too.   Going crazy reading everything I can find.      Doctor scaring me too.     
    • retirednana
      retirednana Papillion

      Posted

      What has your do scared you with? My doc was so flippant about it I thought it was “nothing” and went a whole year without looking it up and finding out what it really is! 
    • aitarg35939
      aitarg35939 Papillion

      Posted

      I'm in the States, too, and I agree that folks on this site are much better informed.The docs & nurses in the UK seem to work more with the patients, rather than above them.

      Sometimes we can drive ourselves nuts on the internet. This is a reliable site, and so is the Johns Hopkins site, and the Mayo Clinic site. Personally, I Don't look anywhere else.

      I too winder what the doc says that worries you.

    • arlys421943
      arlys421943 retirednana

      Posted

      The same with me, she just said what I had. I had been sick for several years. It’s when I told the kids and they looked it up on line and came back having seen some awful pictures of a lung with BBX. The next time I went back and asked for some things to help me.(to her defense I am a retired RN but didn’t know much about it. I took care of babies, they don’t get bronchiectasis) 
  • CrimsonCrow
    CrimsonCrow Papillion

    Posted

    Hi,

    I'm really familiar with bronchoscopy, I've had...ten, I think? Kind of lost count. Nine anyway. They're fairly easy as a rule, though not comfortable (my pulmonologist puts the scope in through the nose instead of the mouth because he says you're less likely to vomit that way), but it's short. The actual procedure is about 15-20 minutes, it takes longer to prep you and get the anesthetic slept off than to do the scope!

    I'm allergic to the drugs normally used for these things, so I get midazolam [Versed] for mine...knocks me completely out and makes me not remember anything.

    If you have a biopsy done that involves cutting out a bit of lung tissue, you may cough up some blood afterward, but that's normal as long as it's not very much. I have really friable lung tissue that bleeds easily, so I get bronchial washing instead.

    The most annoying part is that I always feel really phlegmy the next day, like there's something I can't cough up, but that goes away.

    As for antibiotics, my doctor's not fond of lifelong, every-day treatment (because of antibiotic-resistant infections), but I get 5-8 days of antibiotic a month to keep inflammation down, and we rotate each month between azithromycin and doxycycline. If I have an infection, we either use a higher dose of azithromycin (500mg instead of 250) or, if it's really bad, a fluoroquinolone like Cipro or Levaquin.

    And oh yes, the phlegm. The azithromycin in particular seems to really bring it up.

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