← Return to Hemoptysis - wonder what others do

Discussion

Hemoptysis - wonder what others do

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (61)

Comment receiving replies
@sueinmn

Karen, I am so sorry this has you so anxious. As you have seen here, it is a somewhat common thing with Bronchiectasis - the blood vessels in our lungs are damaged by this disease along with other tissue.

While I have not had major hemoptysis, I used to get pink froth when coughing. The respiratory therapist told me to make sure I was only using active breathing, "huff coughing" or postural drainage during airway clearance and limit any session to 20 minutes to avoid further irritating my lungs. She said it is not necessary to get out every bit of mucus out in every session - the goal is just to keep everything liquid and moving. Others have said they were advised to either change to 3% saline nebs or use less 7% saline after an episode. Have you tried that?

It might help you to understand that those episodes, while frightening, are not major hemorrhages, but breaks in tiny vessels. The guideline I was given was call if you have 1/2 cup of blood in one event or a cupful in a day. This can indicate a clotting issue, and you can be given medications to help with that.

@cayenne give good advice about calming yourself.

Now you have 3 new tools to help you.
- the knowledge that this is not life-threatening
- a possible way to reduce irritation to your lungs
- a relaxation exercise for when it does happen

And an old tool - you can always come and talk to us!
Will you try these tactics and let us know if they help?

Jump to this post


Replies to "Karen, I am so sorry this has you so anxious. As you have seen here, it..."

Sue,
Thank you for all the wonderful help and advice you have given me over the last few months. The encouragement and knowing I am not alone is very helpful. I will definitely try all the tactics these wonderful people have shared. I feel very blessed to have discovered this site!! Best wishes to you for a very Happy New Year.

Sue,
A cup of blood in one day is a lot of blood, and if it indicates a clotting issue, it can also mean the rupture of a larger blood vessel that warrants surgery and not just medication. A CT scan would definitely be in order immediately if that were the case to determine (if possible) the source of the bleeding. My bronchial artery was embolized in two places when I had my massive hemoptisis through intervention radiology and I was put on life support for five days. But here I am!

Aida