Let's talk sputum

Good idea! I never thought to keep them in the fridge - I'll definitely try that next time. Thanks!

Thus far-reaching I'm not colonized with anything - and I am thankful for each day without! I cough up gunk all the time, with the aid of mucus thinners, an A Cappella, and now a Smart Vest (percussion vest). I've been in exacerbation most of the time for a year, possibly 2; on antibiotics much of the time since August.

Twice I've coughed up pieces of soft rice, but unfortunately must've been on ABs at the time as they were whitish. Not a clue!

My new pulmo absolutely wants me working to get the gunk up & out. I know other pulmos who disagree with that philosophy. As far as I'm concerned, the latter & their philosophy helped get me into bronchiectasis. They ignored my increasing coughing, etc. But that's just IMHO.

I hope someone can tell us what these are.

Shirley - this is what the peeps from the laboratory told me to do, because I can almost never bring up sputum in the morning, so I usually produce my sample in the evening and keep it in the fridge. Before you get it checked, we can only guess what it is, but be sure to let us know once you've found out.

Aitarg - always listen to your gut (lungs in this case). My family tried convincing me I should forget about my condition and live life like a normal person, which resulted in me neglecting myself and ending up in hospital. We have to take care of ourselves and take things slow if we feel we can't do it.

Hi Dale, I had hypersensitivity pneumonitis which ultimately led to the BX. Turns out our birds were causing the pneumonitis bouts, and we had to find a new home. No longer dealing with pneumonitis anymore, fingers crossed. I wonder if this is similar to the ABPA? Yeah, sometimes the rice looked wormy  - or like short pine needles.

I took a pic of these green rice/worms to show my doctor. But a few days later, while showing unrelated pics to my family, my sister pointed to the sputum photo and said "what's THAT??" I quickly erased it before she got a closer look.

I also cough up pea size lumps, and as long as it white or light yellow in color, it means no infection, just congestion which is part of the illness.

Beth

4jean, almost all of my sputum has a jelly-like consistency. (I am so glad we are able to have this convo without pics lol) When I'm sicker than normal it becomes more runny. But jelly is my baseline.

Waiting to ave physo to help get crap up ow can they tell if ur lungs are getting clearer

It's a rare day when my total production, s as little as 1 tablespoon. Without the mucus thinners, I can spend hours working the stuff all the way up, and that is exhausting. I suspect there's something familial for me both in quantity and in the thickness. My father & one who f my brothers were massive spitters and what they spat was really thick. I only know this from spending so much of our lives travelling in Texas & Mexico for hunting. Without my mom along they'd roll down the car window & spit. When I got old enough to be assigned car-washing duties, I used to wonder about these horrible hard things on the car doors. Almost impossible to get off, far worse than road tar. Took me a while to figure out what the stuff was, at which point I said they could wash the cars themselves!

My doc says we bronchiectases, how's that for a new word, each have our own baseline hue. What's okay for one means infection in another, so it takes time to figure this out. But mine also acquires a particular taste when things are getting bad. I don't run fevers so I have to rely on these other signals.

I too am glad of no photos, and am quite sure that no one wants to go further into "flavors." ;-p

You're sure right Tony: can't keep this stuff in your mouth because, well there might be more coming, lol. I go through mountains of lotion-laden tissue. I tried hankies but they're too rough on my face & mouthwash ,,, and then there's the immediate soak or wash so the stuff doesn't set. There's always a box of tissues handy between the front seats.

My father didn't have our disease so didn't have our urgency. He always carried his own hankie in one pocket and another spare for the womenfolk in the other pocket. I imahine

Oops, doesn't matter.

Yes it's nice not to be alone. It sounds like you're as prolific as I am. No fun! I've just figured out that even if we figured out a way for me to travel, I'm never staying in anyone's home again. For them to have to listen to me and then of course I'm taking over their trash allotment with all my tissues!

If anyone had told me 40 years ago that my smoking would lead to a nebulizer, a percussion vest and all these blasted used tissues, and especially to rapt attention to & participation in chats about the color & consistency of mucus ,,, I would've lit another unfiltered camel & walked away. Not me - Ha!

Wow!! What a horrible way to become acquainted with sputum up close & personal! From here on out I'll think twice against leaning against any unfamilar car doors lol.

I agree with what you're saying about establishing a baseline - I guess I'm still trying to figure out what mine is. But I understand the aberrant foul "taste". It's gross. For me, it's a sure sign of an active infection.

Yes aitàrg im same loads loads tissues pill popping my dad ad bad chest was coughin up like me but dont think he ad bronchiestsis wat gets me is wen i go to docs first thing they ask do u smoke ive neva smoked im putting this down to working in construction i worked with tarmac asbestos but im trying to find out wat causes bronchiestis if anyone else knows wat causes this nasty dieseas

Hi Tony, I also experience a lack of appetite when there's an active infection - but especially with some of the antibiotics. After taking Rifampin for 10 days, I lost 10 pounds. The nausea was beyond anything I've ever experienced!

When I was first diagnosed with BX, I read that one of the side effects was anorexia. Whaaa??? Can a lung problem really trigger an eating disorder?? But I'm now realizing it's a lack of appetite - perhaps from the antibiotics, or perhaps from the infection itself. I wonder how many others have lost weight as a BX side effect.

Shirley,

When I have a bad infection, my appetite goes way down. I once had walking pneumonia that was not diagnosed for weeks. At the end of it all, I had lost 15 lbs. My husband was getting concerned about me being under weight (I'm 5'6" and normally weight 125-130 lbs). I would force myself to eat protien bars. I have since gained the 15 ibs back.

I had read that people with breathing issues use 10% more calories just for breathing and moving around. Lungs and heart have to work harder using more calories. That and with low appetite when sick, can cause weight loss.

Beth