Bronchiectasis and lung infection

Sputum culture vital before starting antibiotics. Since the pulmonologist sounds like no help how about asking your immunologist to order a sputum sample? You'll need a sterile collection container, which you can pick up at the lab drop off (once there's an order for you). Maybe you can leave the sample right after you pick up the sterile container?

I would change Drs! Every time I am sick I get a culture, even if I start on a general antibiotic while the culture develops. I typically have an uncommon pneumonia, have had MAC twice, Nocardia, EColi respiratory and on and on and on - with a culture and can use a targeted antibiotic and get better results.

Been there, done that. My doctor prescribed Doxycycline for seven days, but my condition only worsened. I then did a sputum culture which showed Haemophilus Influenzae (Many) and was prescibed Cefuroxime Axetil for 14 days.

Interesting. My Haemophilus Influenzae (too numerous to count) was knocked out by seven days on Doxycycline. Just goes to show how these diseases and treatments are definitely NOT one size fits all.

My pulmonologist has me keep a sputum container on hand in case I get sick and I send it for culture.

Interesting about the sputum. I have only had them when seriously ill. I had Haemophilus Influenzae and RSV.
I see pulmo again in 3 weeks. What should I ask him to test for? I read one can't test for nontuberculous mycobacterial. I don't show any allergies because I don't respond to anything when they test (due to no IG). There must be many things to test for. If I don't specify which ones, he won't order. TIA

I have read that some pulmonologists don’t use sputum tests very often. Based on experience and what I’ve read from people on this Mayo Clinic site, that probably isn’t a good protocol. Thankfully my pulmonologist tests.

You’d think that sputum tests would be used to determine or verify hunches when there are serious exacerbations.

Shouldn’t antibiotics be targeted to the specific bacteria for best outcomes if we’re going to take them to avoid further lung damage and avoid misuse of unnecessary antibiotics?

“Shouldn’t antibiotics be targeted to the specific bacteria for best outcomes if we’re going to take them to avoid further lung damage and avoid misuse of unnecessary antibiotics?”

That’s my pulmonologist at Penn’s bronchiectasis clinic’s method. He gives me a cup and has a standing order for a culture in case my sputum changes color, increases in volume or if I feel sick with fevers, increase in coughing, etc.

When you feel ill and leave a sputum sample does it usually grow something treatable?

No. I rarely have sputum that seems from my lungs and have only sent 2 specimens when I had fevers and cough-both grew just normal flora. I have young grandchildren and we figured I’d picked up their viral illnesses.

I do have yellow sputum from back of throat/ upper airway pretty frequently. After switching to Penn and getting the order, I had coughed out darker mucus, but hadn’t expected it and didn’t use specimen container. I sent the next specimen which didn’t look too bad.