I've had bronchiestasis for about a year I'm in the medium or middle stages. Does anyone know life

Hi Carol!

I've had bronchiectasis since 2001. It is my understanding that bronchiectasis is not necessarily progressive. Keyboard acting up, anothe

Carol, I've not heard about stages but rather mild cases or moderate cases and so on.  From what I understand it is up to you whether you do whatever you can to help yourself with this condition.   This site has plenty of people all with different suggestions of what to do and some go to physical therapy or in the UK it's called something else where they teach u to breathe and to get up the mucous. (I have never had that training myself but I have seen pictures in a book I was given)  And many of us have experimented with saline in the nebulizer or salt pipes and then there is the mucolytic drugs and of course some are on inhalers for asthma or COPD - I don't know if they give inhalers for BX. There are the teas to drink and so many suggestions as well as certain vitamins or supplements.  I think some of us take more care of ourselves than others.  Some want to get up the mucous on a daily basis and continually and others do it differently and wait for it to come up by itself with the help of warm drinks or saline etc.   so much to try and we all respond differently and I don't think the doctors care what you do if it's other than the drugs they might prescribe.

Personally, I feel like I don't do near what some of the other contributors on this site do.  I feel like I'm pretty lazy in some ways and don't adhere to a strict schedule of anything but I do try to get it all done at some time or another.  In other words I don't let it become a daily problem because I didn't do something or other and I don't feel guilty about it but still keep on living and so far I'm doing OK and the doctor is pleased.  I think being busy and happy goes a long way and others say exercise does.

I hope my life expectancy is pretty darned long but others who maybe try harder to work on their own treatment plan may be doing a lot better.  I wish there was a way to guage it.   FYI I've had BX for about 8-10 yrs I really don't know how long as it could have been years before the CT scan was done.  I'm probably a mild to moderate case not really know what 'moderate' would mean.   Maybe it depends on how much we cough up in a day.  But some days for me it's nothing and other days it's quite a bit and then I'm good for a couple more days.  Mucous is much more when I forget to take my Symbicort inhaler.  it doesn't mean I'm in a severe state tho - it just means I forgot to do my inhaler.

I'm interested to see what others respond to your question to see if I'm anywhere near correct in answering your question.

Tabatha

If your bx is properly managed and you are free of other co-morbidities you lifespan should not be affected. It is key to live a healthy lifestyle , no smoking for example and free from infection. I wish you well.

Hi Carol,

You should live a normal life with bx.

last year I wad told my lungs had improved.

I do the breathing exercises to bring up mucus. Everyday if ill 

otherwise every other day.

 

Hya Carol,

Having BX is not the end of the world, don't focus on how long you have as alot of people as you may read in this forum have had it for 40 to 50 years some all there life.

Your focus is on staying healthy which means doing everything which may cause your lungs to get infected,colds / Flu breathing in anything that will cause your  lungs stress.Get a physio therapist which will help,and as always your doctor should know and be dealing with BX Patients,if not find one.

Stay Well,

Regards,

Charlie