Bronchiectesis Cure
Posted , 6 users are following.
After 10 years of going to see specialists, God led me to the realization that dairy products were my problem, simply said. I quit drinking coffee too and started drinking English Breakfast tea in the mornings. Coughing gone. Your bronchiectesis coughing may be linked to the Gerd reaction like mine was. I experienced terrible coughing. Now it is gone. No dairy. No more pills or steroids or that stupid salt treatment.
1 like, 14 replies
tabatha84296 janice84350
Posted
Hi, Janice, I was having 'a tea' with a new neighbor who is from France. Very nice sweet gal who loves plants and animals and organic. She's very knowledgeable and loves to tell you what is not good and vice versa. She asked me if I was aware that a very popular brand of tea here in the USA had pesticides in it. I was appalled and said no I didn't know that, but I had learned a lot earlier that that particular brand was no longer what I wanted or needed simply because it seemed to always be grey in a white cup. All my life I'd remembered that hot tea was never grey but a reddish brown. And I never could get the flavor either that I remembered. So I had switched over from this brand she was talking about and I now use an Eng.Breakfast Tea in a red pouch. The hot tea is the reddish brown color (a white cup is the best way to test it) and has the good taste I want. This lady also told me that many of the teas have pesticides in them, but how do we know which? I'm just going to go by the color and taste. Just thought I'd throw that in because who needs pesticides.
Your suggestion of gerd or acid reflux is probably true for some of us and I feel it is with me because I cough when I first lie on the bed (my dr. had said that can happen if you have acid reflux but he never insisted on testing me and the choices of testing didn't appeal to me so I haven't been tested.. Have YOU had the test for gerd?? If so what test and how was it??
Dairy is very bad for me - the next day and maybe for two days I am horribly congested . I've cut out even milk on cereal - don't like almond milk either as I can taste the difference and I've tried rice milk too. I've BEEN using powdered milk -a couple or three teaspoons in my hot tea - but lately I'm stopping even that and going with honey in the tea sometimes. I eat dry cereal, no sugar, and drink water. And oatmeal with fruit avoids milk too. I'm going to try your idea of tea in the mornings also because heat is good. It might help to bring up the mucous faster.
Many years ago I had a party to go to and I was sitting with my neighbor who I was going to go with later and I had a horrible sore throat. We were drinking hot tea (this was back when it tasted good and was the right color) It was helping my throat a bit and we kept 'visiting' and I kept making tea. I have no idea now how many cups I had but it was a lot and the sore throat completely went and I felt better and got to go to the party feeling just fine. The bad throat didn't come back.
Thanks for the idea/s, Janice. By the way, do u just have Bronchiectasis or other lung problems too? Just wondering because you say 'no more steroids'.
Tabatha
Grannyb tabatha84296
Posted
I am 54 and from Scotland's I have had bronchiectisis for 4 years , I get a cough and infections quite regular and I am on a antibiotic 3 days a week and steroids . I have the usual inhalers and nebulisers and phylocontin and montulusk tablets . I don't take dairy or tea I drink water . Was wondering if you are on any of these medicines and I am finding it difficult to get a spit or phlegm . What do you do to help if anything helps
janice84350 Grannyb
Posted
OK Granny. . . the dairy was the agitator along with the coffee for me. It didn't settle well on my stomach and would come up in the night. So I had lots of coughing in the morning spitting up phlegm and would start dry heeves. I would see blood if I got a throat infection. My bronchiectesis is further up in the bronchial area. . . they said it was pronounced. Don't give up trying to find the answer. Did you ever smoke? I didn't. Is there anything you are eating regularly that might be irritating and coming back up while you are sleeping?
janice84350 tabatha84296
Posted
They tried to get me to do the steroid inhaler on a regular basis when I would cough. the dairy was the agitator along with the coffee for me. It didn't settle well on my stomach and would come up in the night. So I had lots of coughing in the morning spitting up phlegm and would start dry heeves. I would see blood if I got a throat infection. My bronchiectesis is further up in the bronchial area. . . they said it was pronounced. Don't give up trying to find the answer. Did you ever smoke? I didn't. Is there anything you are eating regularly that might be irritating and coming back up while you are sleeping?
tabatha84296 Grannyb
Posted
Hey, Granny - I have asthma, BX and COPD.
I take inhalers: Spiriva and Symbicort
Also Singulair (Montelukast)
And Mucinex - a mucolytic to help bring up the phlegm or mucous.
I have a Nebulizer and Albuterol but for me to use it I have to be feeling very congested and not breathing well at all usually after I've eaten something bad for dessert with milk in it. Because I'm committed not to do those bad things I very seldom need to use the nebulizer.
I am not on antibiotics and have not been since pneumonia 2 yrs ago.and before that it was another long time. I started on Vit. C when I had a mycobacteria and refused to take the antibiotics. there was just too many side effects I was told about and I wasn't having any of that so chose to go the natural way with a natural doctor and I'm so glad I did because he also checks your vitamins and either added one or two or approved everything I was taking, including NAC. (I've since stopped that as I really didn't think it did anything for me and I was on Mucinex which seemed to me to be all I needed.
If I didn't take the Singulair my airways would close up and I'd be wheezing and whistling. I have no idea if it helps with BX though.
The Spiriva doesn't seem to do much for ME but my drs. don't say to stop it and I do know that if I am not home to take the Singulair and I take the Spiriva, it usually is enough for the rest of the day until it's time for Singulair again. So for that reason I take it. It doesn't have to have a rinse out after so I can do it in the car or wherever else I might be (but you should rinse because it can dry you).
Oh, like you I drink tons of water but I have to make myself because it's just not appealing. I like to leave glasses of water around the house or bottles and so it's always available and I space out my vitamins so that I need water to take them with thruout the day - all kinds of little perks like that to encourage me.
I don't do anything for the BX other than spit up the mucous when it comes up on its own. If I were you I wouldn't worry about not getting anything to spit up. Just forget it and get on with your day - if there is anything there to come up it'll make itself known. But I would take the mucous drug whatever that would be in Scotland. In the States we have Mucines and the brand is best as it's time released. That might help you if you can get something like that.
Having COPD gives me enough to focus on and I thing the BX probably benefits somehow from whatever I do for that.
As mentioned I do take lots of vitamins and supplements and extra of quite a few of them. I know Vitamin C helps to prevent infections as I don't get infection or at least I do not if I'm current and don't forget the Vit. C for a few days. the reason I know is because I did let up for a bit and then I got pneumonia (had been shopping where lots of people shop and probably picked up a germ) and made myself worse and now my lungs are worse. So the Vit. C is a good preventative along with Flu Shot and Pneumonia shot. I didn't want to do them but all my drs led me to believe I really would be better off. I'm in my 70s now, Granny, and older people tend to be more vulnerable so I decided I'd better because of the condition of my lungs.
I hope that answers what you needed to know. Do lots of research online. I read everything I could about everything I hadn't heard of. I learned a lot and it also helps you to not panic. Some new people just diagnosed I think are on the verge of panic - I think I was when I heard all the stuff I had going on - so reading and learning about our diseases and drugs helps to keep us calm. From reading this site we learn that everyone responds to different things and we all seem to be attracted to different things and I like to try a lot of them. I think the tea idea is very good and possibly green teas as long as it's hot and no milk as u know. Not sure about coffee tho because that makes ME feel really good and more energetic mentally. Think I've heard or read it's good for the lungs but probably has to be a lot of coffee in a day and not just the one cup I drink occasionally.
tabatha84296 janice84350
Posted
Janice, my problem is not like yours - I know I have asthma so the inhalers help with that. I never did cough or cough up in the morning - dairy is bad for anyone with asthma so we know not to do much of that. I've not had a throat infection and now you've probably read my msg to Granny and see what I'm doing for what I've got. I have mild to moderate bronchiectasis I'm told in the right lung midway.
Yes, I did smoke for 17 yrs and quit when I was 35 after having pharyngitis which hurt so much I told myself I didn't want to get throat cancer. I've never seen blood, touch wood. I'm not allergic or sensitive to any foods either. They checked me for that. My worst problem is COPD which yesterday my doctor explained to me what that is. I thought, because I'd always read, that it was bronchitis that you have twice a year for two years in a row. But yesterday I find out that it's destruction of the cells in the lungs from infection. He said to pretend the cells are little rooms, all nice with smooth walls and well rounded and clean etc. COPD is those rooms all damaged and holes in the walls and banged up and nothing neat and orderly. And they get worse with infections. It gets worse with age too. So that is part of what makes me cough along with, I suspect, the acid reflex. I cough when i walk too fast or get too energetic but I don't cough near as badly as some people.
Tabatha
steve62514 janice84350
Posted
I gave up dairy for a month and it made no difference. Mind you, I didn't/don't have difficulty with thick mucous or my coughing. I take acetylsteine ('NAC Long'
daily to thin the mucous and that does help and seems to be low impact in terms of side effects (I dropped it out experimentally and within a few days I could detect greater difficulty with coughing up). I concluded I could continue to have full fat milk with my fibrous breakfast and with coffee
My Thai pulmonologist told me that coffee is a natural bronchodilator and he encourages his bronchX patients to drink more of it not less! Can't say I have noticed much difference though from drinking three cups of fresh brew a day rather than my previous one so I'm back down to two now.
Everyone's body is different. I reckon we sufferers should experiment to find out what helps and hinders us. Don't just follow any particular mantra, but do use other people's to find out what experiments to conduct!
steve62514
Posted
tabatha84296 steve62514
Posted
Hi, Steve,
I read very recently that a study has been done showing that FOUR cups of coffee is the amount that makes a difference to the lungs.
I'm not about to drink that much myself as I let one cup sit all day and drink it cold eventually.
We need someone to go for 4 cups and report back : )
Tabatha
tabatha84296 steve62514
Posted
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janice84350
Posted
Note to everyone. . . I thought this site just dealt with bronchiectesis. I don't know anything about COPD as I have not experienced it. I do wish you healing and good days ahead. I just thought I would share in my situation what has worked to stop the coughing from bronchiectesis. And it does not include coffee for me. Coffee actually stimulated the cough in the mornings.
tabatha84296 janice84350
Posted
Sorry, Janice, I comment on what my treatments or experiments are and bronchiectasis is one of my complaints as I've had it for 10 yrs or so. some of us on the site have COPD also and some have asthma and the inhalers go with all of it and many of the same things help all those diagnoses. Sorry if I confused you.
Tabatha
pam81116 janice84350
Posted
carol34293 janice84350
Posted
Thank you for the post and everyone sharing their experience. I was just told that I have bronchiectesis by my doctor, after I had a chest x-ray and a CT scan, and I made an appointment with a specialist for Feb. 15th. I am still in the fear of the unknown and can't wait for my appointment. I try to stay off the internet because it doesn't always make me feel better. I know everyones case is different and I truly appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. I don't feel alone. Thank you.