Bronchiectasis with frequent infections and exacerbations, help and advice will be much appreciated
Posted , 13 users are following.
Hi, my mother is 60 years of age and has been told she has bronchiectasis about 3 months ago, and less than 30% lung function left. For a long time (particularly the past 2 years) she has been getting frequent chest infections and been treated with 1 week courses of antibiotics and steriods. After finishing a course she would be ok for a week, by the end of that week her symptoms would return and she would need antibiotics and steriods again. Recently she was put on a 2 week course of antibiotics and steriods which did help at the time but now that she's finished them, her symptoms of breathlessness and chest tightness etc are returning. My concern is that my mum is unwell almost all of the time and only feels well when she is on these medicines and for a few days after they finish. Literally she is on antibiotics a week on and then a week off and now she's on them for a week and then not even a week passes by but she needs them again. I feel very sad for her and hate to see her struggle like this and I really want to do something to help her condition and improve her standard of life, by keeping these infections at bay, this is why I am on this forum, to seek advice on how I can help her or what medicines could be helpful and hopefully others can also benefit from the advice given in response to this message.
My mother has the following conditions:
Bronchiectasis (30% lung function)
Acute Kidney Injury stage 2 (30% kidney function)
Diabetes type 2
Servere Sleep Aponea
She is on the following medications:
Morning:
1 Aspirin Tablet 75mg
1 Diltiazem Capsule 60mg
1 Lansoprazole 30 mg
1 Glicazide Tablet
1 Adcal D3 Soluable Tablet 1500mg
Night:
1 Diltiazem Capsule 60mg
1 Lansoprazole 30mg
1 Pravastatin Tablet 40mg
1 Montelukast Tablet 10mg
1 Adcal D3 Soluable Tablet 1500mg
Inhalers:
Fostair Next Inhaler 100/6mg - Twice a day
Spiriva Inhaler - Once every morning
Salbutamol Inhaler- As and when needed
Other:
Fluticasone furoate 27.5mg Nasal Spray - twice daily
Carbocsteine - 1 three times a day
I will be very grateful for any advice, suggestions, tips, recommendations, natural remedies, or experiences shared. Thank you for reading my post and for your help in advance.
3 likes, 28 replies
johnboy1954 Yasminess
Posted
Thank you
John
Yasminess johnboy1954
Posted
Hi John,
I'm not sure if it the same...but I'm going to read up on it and will get back to you.
Yasmin
mary_ann_0313 Yasminess
Posted
I have checked on You Tube and it seems to me that Postural drainage is the massage that is done by a therapist with cupped hands. It causes the patient to cough after this session. I have been told about this, but didn't understand what it was until I watched the video. It is a specialized masseuse who does it. Not just any massage therapist can do it. I doubt that my insurance will cover it. If it becomes necessary for me, I will do what Beth is doing and that is invest in a percussion vest. I checked on the price online and it is very expensive.....$6000. However, if you pay $100 an hour for a massage, the vest would be paid for in almost a year at one time per week. If you need it every day, then it is paid for in two months. It makes sense to look into the percussion vest. I am not sure, but I think it is all about what stage of your disease and how necessary it is. Blessings to all of you suffer with this disease. It is not easy and I feel discouraged at times that my golden years are not so golden. On the bright side, we are much better off than the people who had it 10 years ago. Research is coming up with better gadgets for us and we have the internet to converse with others who are in the same predicament. I am blessed to have found friends here who encourage me with more info and better suggestions than I have gotten from my doctor. This is what this blog is all about....helping others to cope and make life more comfortable. God bless you.
I want to take this moment to say thank you to the people who give us this opportunity via this website. THANK YOU for your caring for those who are hurting with various illnesses.
Mary Ann
johnboy1954 mary_ann_0313
Posted
Yasminess mary_ann_0313
Posted
Yasmin
gsoal92 Yasminess
Posted
One of the main methods that helped me at the beginning was the physiotherapy, the amount of mucus that is shifted following the first few treatments is significant and you feel the benefits straight away. Before I went I had lost 3 stone and weight and had no energy, and mainly lay in bed. Knowing that there are others with this illness helped my mental health as well. I'm 24 and have had Bronchiectasis for 7 years, apart from a brief 30-40 minutes of slight coughing in the morning i have no problems during the day, I have also only had 1 chest infection in those 7 years and i genuinely believe it is because of physio. Another thing to possibly get checked is the sinus, I had quite bad post nasal drip from the area which contributed to my cough at the beginning.
I hope this helps and I hope your mother gets better.
Yasminess gsoal92
Posted
Hi Gsoal92,
Thank you for your response. I'm happy to hear how well you are doing at keeping those infections at bay...1 in 7 years is amazing! I look forward to my mum being able to do them soon, she starts physio classes in 2 weeks time so hopefully she will learn these exercises soon. I'm suprised at how young you are, stay positive, keep doing what your doing and continue looking after your health.
My mum use to have really bad sinus problems...her nose was badly blocked but once she started using the CPAP machine for her sleep apnoea her sinuses also cleared up somehow. Thank you for suggesting this though.
Yasmin
mary_ann_0313 Yasminess
Posted
Just want to mention to remind your Mother to be very sanitary with the cpap. It can be a trap for disease if it is not sanitized well....I would suggest daily cleaning since I believe I compromised my health from an episode with a dirty cpap. If she can, put the tank through the dishwasher, but buy a special long brush on the internet that will get through the tubing too. They are all breeding grounds for bacteria if not cleaned thoroughly. Also, visit website for your machine and find out what they recommend since some of them don't the tank put in the dishwasher because it will deteriorate the longevity. With my health plan, I could get a new tank every 6 mos. or maybe a year. There is still a cost, but the peace of mind is worth the cost. All the tubing and masks should be well sanitized too. Blessings to you and your Mother.
Mary Ann
Yasminess mary_ann_0313
Posted
Hi Maryann,
How are you and how have you been? Very sorry about the super late reply..I only saw your message now. Thank you for your advice, I will be giving it a good clean tomorrow.
My mum is still on steriods and antibiotics almost every week..a week on, a week off. She had an app with her respiratory consultant on the 15th December 2016, but the hosp sent another letter out to say its been cancelled and rearranged for sometime near the end of January 2017. Not happy about this because of how frequently my mum is on all these meds and the effect it is and will have on her weak kidneys etc. I hope to ring the hosp tomorrow and ask if they can see my mum sooner. Also..my mum was meant to start physio/ exercise classes, but she had a fall and wasn't able to walk properly for a while so those classes were put on hold, hope to get her onto it again when she is able to. Everytime my mums meds finish, she complains about her body aching, esp her back, lacking energy and feeling very week and losing her appetite. Just thought I would update you on my mum. I hope you are well and all is well. Takecare.
mary08543 Yasminess
Posted
sorry to hear about your mom but good for you for trying to help her. I am 58 and have had bronc for 4 years and also asthma diagnosied at same time. I have learned to "manage" as best as can and read my symptoms to try to keep in check. My infections almost always require 2 rounds back to back of antibiotics to clear them up. I do an albutoral nebulizer each morning followed by chest therapy to clear lungs daily. Its so important to learn how to manually clear lungs of mucus as thats what breeds infection and it doesn't happen naturally with someone with brochectasis. Your mom needs to find a pulmonologist who specializes in brochestasis and learn how to clear lungs properly. Drinks lots of water and excercise as much as possible helps loosen mucus to come up Aggrevating but livable with management, stay positive, she will figure it out with time, but rest when necessarl\y as its exhausting when it hits..... wish her well...
mary_ann_0313 Yasminess
Posted
Hi Yasmin,
As Mary 08543 said, it is important that your Mum learn how to expel the mucus. Since I have been doing that, I am not getting infections like before. I was hesitating with doing it because it is a bit difficult at first, but I have gotten the hang of it now. I got lots of questions answered by Elizabeth. In order to do it, you must have a nebulizer, sodium chloride, and a flutter valve ( a peak flow meter helps with giving me a measurement of clear lungs). If you don't have these things yet, ask your doctor. When you expel this mucus through coughing deeply after nebulizer and flutter valve, you are preventing more mucus plugs from attaching in your lungs. Those mucus plugs show up in an x-ray.
After having done it for about 3 months, I know what it takes to get the mucus to come up. I wish there was an easier gadget to do it, but not so. It is not "lady like" coughing up this stuff, but I have gotten past that. I do it in the privacy of my bathroom and with the vent on so that I don't bother anyone with my coughing. The sooner your Mom gets into the routine of expeling the mucus, the better she will be because there will be less mucus in her lungs to get infected. Have her ask questions on this blog if her doctor doesn't give much instruction. My pulmonologist just handed me a flutter valve and told me to blow into it....ya right! Not quite the way it works. There is a procedure: first the nebulizer with the sodium chloride solution, then the flutter valve done in a special routine, then the movement of the flapping upperarms, and then coughing up mucus. It helps to blow into a peak flow meter to see if you loosened up the mucus completely. When you get to your normal peak flow number, you know you are clear. I find that the peak flow meter actually helps bringing up the mucus too. This is what I do, but there may be others who can give you better ideas to tell your Mum. In the meantime, you can start asking questions about what the doctor has in mind to help her Bx from escalating.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Blessings,
Mary Ann
kathleen29123 Yasminess
Posted
Is it not better for your mum to stay on antibiotics all the time? I have bronchiectasos as well but thanks to Azithromycine ( 500 mg 3 times a week), I have not had as many lung infections in recent years. I've had this lung condition for 9 or 10 years now and I used to get a lot of infections before going on antibiotics. I exercise quite a bit so my lung function has improved drastically. Despite quite a bit of damage to my right lung, My specialist is amazed at my present lung capacity for a person with this illness. I am 50 years old and eat healthily as well as I realize how important it is for my overall condition.
I have other health issues also: vitamin B12 deficiency ( diagnosed 7 months ago but now on injections so I'm over the worst of that) and Candida infections. I follow a diet for that which is basically no sugar and no yeast and mostly no gluten. A lot of discipline is required for all of that but once again, it's for the good of my health. I havent really ever talken to Antoine with the same lung condition so this forum is very interesting.
I sincerely hope your mum has improved somewhat by now. I was at that stage of needing postural drainage when first diagnozed but since ive been taking the antibiotics and leading a healthy lifestyle, that's no longer needed. I might be just lucky for now and I realize no one knows what's just around the corner.
I wish your mum lots of strength in coping with all the limitations her various health issues bring with them and admire your devotion to helping her through it. Take good care.
Yasminess kathleen29123
Posted
Thank you