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Anxiety and stress with Bronchiectasis

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Nov 2 7:07am | Replies (28)

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Thank you all for responding to my post about anxiety and stress with Bronchiectasis. I realize it was vague so I’ll add more detail. I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis in Jan. 2020 but probably had it for years. I’ve had pneumonia numerous times before my diagnosis. I was a speech pathologist in the school system for 30 years and worked closely with young children which could have attributed to my recurrent infections. My pulmonologist only had me using Aerobika twice a day and I had done pretty well until now. Since May 2025 and September 2O25, I’ve had 3 respiratory infections ( one being pneumonia). It seems like these infections have started since my only grandson started daycare at 6months of age. I had to baby sit this past weekend and wore a mask the entire time because he has another cough. The good news is my new pulmonologist has me on a nebulizer 3 % and Brinsupri 25 mg that I started in early September. I have much less coughing and mucus. Basically, I feel fine physically but I’m struggling with constant uneasiness and anxiety worrying about things I can’t control ( like infections). Q

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Replies to "Thank you all for responding to my post about anxiety and stress with Bronchiectasis. I realize..."

Thanks @lmanells for sharing more details about your BE journey. Most if not all of us here started with a cough, suffered through numerous episodes of bronchitis and/or pneumonia, and in many cases, like mine, took a l o o o n g time to diagnosis. Mine was diagnosed as asthma for almost a decade. This diagnosis makes life challenging and there's a certain amount of resilience we build up to cope. Cliché-y, some days are better than others.

Very glad to hear you have gotten some relief from Brinsupri. We all hope that by being on this drug it will break the "vicious vortex" of inflammation, infection and damage to our fragile lungs. Also, great that you use hypertonic saline. Hypertonic saline is available in 7% concentration as well if you'd like to take it up a notch. What do you do for airway clearance? Common methods are autogenic drainage and huff cough.

To address uneasiness and anxiety about worrying about things we cannot control, it's helpful to assemble a supportive team: pulmonologist from one of the BE centers around the US. A knowledgeable pulmonologist can connect you with pulmonary rehab if needed. A knowledgeable pulmonologist will likely have a nurse and NP who you can contact during periods of exacerbation. Sometimes actively "doing something" about the BE will help to diminish anxiety and worry. When I find myself spiraling due to negative thoughts, I imagine a very large broom that comes down from sky and sweeps those thoughts away! Somedays I sweep a lot. Doesn't work all the time but sometimes it does!

There are number of resources here at Mayo connect. One of our members wrote a book and hosts a website for BE. https://www.letsbecleartoday.com . And, I was surprised to see in the public library, newish books about BE. Here is a screenshot of some of those books.

Hope this for starters helps a little bit.

Shared files

BE library books (BE-library-books.pdf)