Newly Diagnosed - Living Alone

Hi Margiesgirl, I was diagnosed 2 years ago after 12 months of a productive cough. I used to cough constantly, sometimes so hard I vomited. I finally ended up in hospital twice with phneumonia. i have since seen a specialist and take symbicort turbo inhaler twice a day and i now have.it under control. I still cough occasionally and get infections but i always have antibiotics on hand. have you seen a specialist? go and see a physio for treatment that helped me get alot of the mucus off my chest. I thought I would never feel good again but I do. another way of getting up mucus is by huffing. you can google how to do.this and you can do this on your own. I hope you feel better soon. x

Hi,

I too would recommend you have a look at huff and cough.

i was recently shown this technique. 

It is easier to get rid of the rubbish in your lungs.

Hi there Margiesgirl,...Sorry to hear your struggling on your own ,i live alone also ,so i know how you feel ,but do not give up.... ask for help from your GP,...Physio is the way forward ,but family can help as well .get someone to give you a prolonged pat on the back ,it will help you ,Also ask your GP for Azithromycin it  kills the bacteria and really helps with the cough...hope this is some help to you ....Keep your chin up !!!.

Hi margiesgirl

I'm new here also and still trying to understand how to use.

I have had so lovely messages from lovely people going through the same as myself which has made me feel less isolated.

I live alone too, my ex husband couldn't cope with me being ill so much and I think was frightened he would end up being my carer ha, had a couple of relationships but when they discovered my illness ( the coughing fits etc ) they ran a mile !!!! 🙈😀.

Anyway- I get very down too, so I completely understand. Think because this an illness you have to keep on top of EVERY day of your life it gets overwhelming.

I am 56years old and was born with bronchiectasis .

I feel I have lost friends due to my illness, think they get fed up with me if we have arranged anything then I need to cancel if I have an exacerbation, it's really tough, so many people don't get it even though you try to explain 😢 .

I also have sinus problems margi, have nasal polyps which makes it even most difficult to breathe for us 🙈.

I've been ill for 8 weeks and was in hospital over Xmas and New Year, to be honest I would rather be at home.

Do you have a respiratory consultant?

For my sinuses at the moment Dr has prescribed vistamethasone drops, sterimar spray and have been prescribed cetirizine antihistamines for many years. I am on a constant rotation of antibiotics doxycycline for a month then Clarithromycin then Amoxicillin and metoclopramide to help with the nausea.

I also nebulise sodium chloride (saline) it helps a bit in clearing the mucus .

Hope this helps, it's so repetitive but keeping the lungs as clear as possible is key....

Hope you get on ok, with this dreadful disease you "look" healthy on the outside and I personally find that's why there is a lack of understanding.

You take care xxx

P.s...hope I've not been rambling on too much 🙈

 You don't need to apologize for feeling exhausted and frustrated. We all understand exactly where you are right now. Saying a prayer for you that this is just an exacerbation, and not an infection, and it will pass quickly.  Postural drainage definitely works. Could you ask your doctor to assign physical therapy for this? Or is in-home care a possibility?  Also nebulizer with 2% saline solution is helpful. 

Hi Sharn,

So sorry to read your post. I think it's quite a shock to receive this diagnose and take it all in. I recently said to my respiratory consultant that when I met her a year ago and was diagnosed I understood very little of what she was telling me. I did a lot of research, particularly on the British Lung Foundation website. You can even ring them for support and advice. That's where I found out about the Breathe Easy group in my area. 

You're not alone in this so do post and get lots of support. 

Janet 

Margie, look for more videos on postural drainage because it can be done just lying in various positions. For lung pounding yes you need either a healthy human or a machine. I live alone and have a machine. My cervical spine cannot take lying with head hanging down off the edge of the bed.

Yes, being ill & living alone isn't fun but it's been my reality for most of 27 years. No kids, no family. I have quite a few other serious ailments & have bad pain every day in at least 20 joints so i get out less and less. Wouldn't make it without all the love & joy embodied in my lip. Well, him & faith.

It sounds as tho you could have a bounce back or new problem. Please call doc/nurse.

I’m 59 and live alone too. Was diagnosed 4-5 years ago. Had polyps removed in sinuses and also diagnosed with asthma   My pulmonologist ordered a Hill-Rom Vest airway clearance machine I use daily after an albuterol neb which helps tremendously keeping lungs clear. I also do daily saline Nettie bottle treatments which helps too. Drink lots of water and get lots of rest when you need to. Don’t fight it. It’s not our fault   It’s embarrassing at times when with people when crap comes up when coughing  sugar free Ricola to suck on helps keep cough at bay when needed.  FYI. I’m in the states.  Stay strong.  I tell myself it could be worse when I get down.  I’ve missed so many outings due to bad days 🍀🙏🏻💕