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A quirky manifestation of bronchiectasis
I have a history of moderately advanced tuberculosis I contracted in India at age 19. I am now 73. Had a massive hemoptysis in 2012 and almost died; my bronchial artery was embolized in two places. Slowly after that the bronchiectasis symptoms kicked in.
Coughing up the phlegm doesn't work for me. It always feels unreachable and the trauma of coughing feels and is dangerous in my case. My airways are delicate and bleed easily. The way I have controlled my bronchiectasis since it worsened in October 2023 is by drinking copious amounts of warm water throughout the day ( I now add minerals to it) and eating only soups with high liquid content. Periodically in a day, I can feel a mucus plug building, and then I start drinking a lot of very warm water. It usually clears it within minutes. I cannot handle eating ordinary meals anymore as they cause a lot of congestion and soon thereafter, I start spitting up blood. Once in a great while, I can eat some chinese vegetables, or some other light meal, but very infrequently. When the bleeding comes, if it persists, I end up needing a CT scan to rule out a major rupture, and then a round of antibiotics for a good 10 days. The only other things I don is daily yoga, guaifenesin occasionally, and stack breathing. Does anyone else with bronchiectasis have a profile anything like mine?
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@paxmundi
Hello! I do not have the same difficulties as yourself, but I am wondering: why do you take the guaifenesin "occasionally". I have found this to be very helpful in 'moving' the sputum much easier.
I take 600mg twice a day. Without it, I am coughing more, and struggling with 'glue'-like mucous. The guai keeps things more liquid.
You are already drinking lots of water, perhaps this would prove helpful for you too.
All the best.
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1 ReactionHi there, I wanted to tell you that I too have a delicate trachea. I am 75 and have had bronchiectasis since I was 16. As a result of so many years of coughing and clearing my throat I have developed tracheal mylasia, which is a collapsing trachea. It is moderate at the moment, but it does cause some difficulty. I cannot lean my head back after eating or drinking or it will cause me not to be able to breath. Very scary when it happens. I do not take guaifenesin, but instead take muscinex. It really helps to keep the phlegm thin. I hope that helps.
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2 ReactionsAge 19 to 73....you have learned how to manage. When people ask me how I am doing because of the BE with MAC I tell them I am managing. That is about it, managing.
I had not heard of stacking breath so I looked it up. I guess it is just another "tool" to help with mucus in the lungs. Since you did not mention nebulizing or use of the Aerobika, and said "the only things I have done", I take it you are unable to do either...... nor postural drainage???
I am sure you have experienced much throughout the years....an illness such as yours, BE etc. etc. sure challenges us.
Barbara
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1 ReactionYou also have learned how to manage as @ paxmundi. I guess we all eventually learn how to manage lung illnesses, at least I hope so. For some it is too much of a challenge, we are all different in how we are able to emotionally deal with things and need all the help we can get in many ways.
I believe that the Brand Muscinex has guaifenesin labled on it.???
With or without guaifenesin it sure does help us when we are able to keep the mucus THIN!
Barbara
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3 ReactionsThank you for responding, Barbara. I have used Aerobika intermittently with some very mild huffing, but this has never brought up secretions. I cannot tolerate saline. The very warm water, which I drink all day long, and the mostly liquid diet is how I have kept the secretions flowing without having to cough. I am on a very short leash with that protocol because I have to guard against coughing and need to keep the secretions thin enough so they just go through me without coughing or can be spit out without a lot of force. So warm water and diet is how I have managed the mucus in my system. I haven’t found another person on the site that has a similar strategy yet and was curious if there were others.
I probably should take this more often. I will try it and see if it also helps. I watched a webinar on bronchiectasis posted on this site by a Dr. Meretsky from the University of Connecticut Medical School and he said there were no studies showing that guaifenesin helps, but so many here say it does, that it is worth a try. Thank you!
This is very interesting as in the past, before my massive hemoptysis, I used to cough so violently that tears would run down my face and I could feel something funny happening in my trachea. It could have been something akin to what you are describing. Hope you are managing and thank you so much for responding.
Is there any difference between generic guaifenesin and Muscinex?
Thank you for your reply.