Bronchiecstasis and chest pain

sorry to hear about all of these infections,your medical people dont seem too helpful. you mention the flutter but do you carry out postural drainage on a regular basis and are you able to get much mucus out during the sessions?

Some people need inhalers to open up the airways so that mucus can be coughed up.Have you had a full lung function test carried out by your doctor which might show up any lung restriction.

as well as taking antibiotics i use several inhalers to open up my airways so postural drainage works better,these are:

seretide

spiriva

and mucodyne tablet to thin out the mucus

i get lower lung pain often

keep nagging you doctors,i asssume you have had a ct scan

Thanks for your advise.

I have had a CT scan which shows areas of bronchiectasis across both lungs. I also have had lung function tests.

The Phsio I saw told me that postural drainage was old hat and the way to go was the flutter...what does any-one else think???

I am currantly on 30days of mucadene, this is the first time it has been prescribed I am not seeing my consultant until June now so will see if the GP will perscribe. I do get a level of mucas up but not out which again is frustrating.

I have seritide and ventalin inhalers as I also have chronic asthma, which doesn't help.

I know I teach exercise in the day, but I used to go to the gym 3-4 times a week, but now I am just too tired at the end of the day......is this usual aswell??????

Any advise is greatly appreciated

i am surprised that your doctor doesn't advise postural drainage if you use the flutter. i think the two methods go together since after i use the flutter which loosens mucus i hang over the side of the bed and cough downwards to get out the mucus loosened by the flutter.I do this along with chest clapping for about an hour in the morning and at night.

i too have asthma which makes coughing up mucus difficult unless the asthma is well under control.i cant get anything out with a tight chest.

i use a peak flow meter at home and have lung function(spirometer) tests carried out by a consultant from time to time to make sure asthma is controlled. i use the highest dose of seretide 4 puffs a day of seretide 250 and from time to time steroid tablets.

i get tired whenever i have an infection so usually start antibiotics early.my doctor gives me antibiotics in advance so i decide when to take them. the type of antibiotic is chosen based on sputum analysis.after a test result is obtained i discuss the type of bug found and the antibiotic the bugs were sensitive to with my doctor. i have been using augmentin and doxycycline on an alternate basis at the moment. last year i had 7 lots of antibiotic.

i have had to go to a consultant privately to get quick results , i found that the nhs takes too long when you need a lung function test quickly. but my doctor is ok with the antibiotics and other medicines. i have found that the simple peak flow test carried out at home or in the doctors surgery is not good enough to fully evaluate asthma , a full lung fuction test is needed which is not carried out at the gp surgery.

hve gone on too long-- hope this helps

hi iv not been diagnosed all that long 3 months ish, i too get pains which seem to come when the chest infection is bad. it does feel a bit like a bruise.mine seems to have got worse quickly i,v had 4 lots of antibiotics already this year and im on mucadene too. Alan when you have your function tests are the readings low mine were high the doc said the lowest iv been is 350 and normally i can blow 550, but im still very out of breath even after 1 flight of stairs. good luck to you all paul

i usually get about 550 on the peak flow meter which i think is ok for me but i have seen charts on the internet somewhere which shows what peak flowrate is normal for sex,age,height etc. so you can figure out what is good for you.

The trouble I have with the peak flow meter is that depending on exactly the way i blow into it i can get a wide range of readings.i have been told that this is not unusual.

I think the peak flow meter is good for day to day checking on asthma

control if you can use it consistently

the only way to get a complete picture of your lung performance is to use a spirometer which tells you your lung capacity and even what type of lung disease you may have. i have to go to a consultant to get a spirometer test, you just blow into a machine several times. it just takes 5 mins.i do this about once a year or if i have unusual lung problems.

Hi, Would like to say that no-one recommended postural drainage to me either when in hospital with severe pneumonia, but I accidentally found it out recently when lying down for a rest one afternoon, and read about it on this forum a while back. I use it in conjunction with the flutter valve, and also lean over the edge of the bed at the end like a previous messenger. Also, sometimes my hubby bangs my back as physio showed him, so the combination does very well indeed.

This takes at least 30 mins once a day in the afternoon/evening.

Luckily, I only have bronchiectasis mildly, so only bring up about 2 or 3 oz (70 mls) daily. I would like to know what sort of quantities does everyone else bring up - pints or how much???

All the best to you fellow worse-sufferers than me.