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Can I have your input please?

Posted by narelled23 @narelled23, 3 days ago

History of Bronchiestases and COPD. I have been sick for 3 of the last 4 months...and almost continually for the last 2 months. Started as cold like for couple of weeks...get better for a couple of days and then come down again. It developed into a severe sinusitis type infection. Early nasal swab and more recent sputum showed nothing sinister.
A course of Azrithromycin was followed by Amoxicillin and then 2 rounds of Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (because of a skin infection I also had). While initially these seemed to help they didn't kill whatever is ailing me.
Just this weekend I tried the 'on call Dr' at my local clinic and he said I needed to switch antibiotics and put me on Cefuroxine, gave me a referral for chest xray for today to rule out Pneumonia, and a referral for ent scope of my throat area...because one of the symptoms I have been experiencing is the feeling of my throat closing and stopping my breathing.
I woke this morning with laryngitis type symptoms and shortness of breath on walking...!!
The Xray is meant to be being read as urgent today, in case Pneumonia is developing - the on call Dr should get report today and I have asked him to contact me when he gets it.
The pulmonary rehabilitation program I have been doing had suggested that nebulising hypertonic may be causing some of my excess mucus problems and so I did cut down to 2 or 3 times a week for a while there, but back to once a day now. Doctors are keeping an ear on.my chest and no reports of chest noises.
Can anyone give me some direction please? Am feeling a bit desperate.

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blm1007blm1007 | @blm1007blm1007 | 2 days ago

@becleartoday
Linda.
Do you know of any well educated pulmonologist in the area of Bronchiectasis in Australia or possibly a Center of Excellence, if they have one, in Australia?
Just in case our Mayo Connect Friend in Australia , narelled23, might need or could use this information.
Barbara

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Liz | @ursala7 | 2 days ago
In reply to @narelled23 "@scoop Thank you Scoop. It has been suggested to me by several (pulmonary and physio) that..." + (show)
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@scoop
Thank you Scoop.

It has been suggested to me by several (pulmonary and physio) that because I cough so much during nebbing that I may be creating a vicious circle causing more inflammation and irritation which causes more urge to cough and more mucus. I did find that the mucus volume reduced after dropping to 2-3 nebs a week.

However it was just after this that I developed the infection!! I am now back to once daily nebbing. Fortunately sputum usually white/clear...despite a lot of green/yellow when I had the sinus infection mainly from sinuses.

I haven't been able to submit further sputums because I am on antibiotics...but if this continues after this round I will.

I do have reflux and have been doing what I can...probably should have another scope done as it is some years since the last.

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@narelled23 I will agree with yourself and others to continue the nebulizing. I thought the same thing at first - my brain said "this nebbing is causing more mucus for me to deal with, and it's not what I want to deal with today". A little lie my mind told me, but in a way it does create more congestion to deal with, because it;s diluting the sticky stuff and helping to move it - without the nebulizing, we're more vulnerable to infection because of not liquifying it and coughing it out. In fact, that's been my problem all along. If I have a day when I'm not coughing, I know I have to do more things to make myself cough - or the boom's going drop. I will say, during pneumonia, with accompanying inflamed air passages, I have a rough time getting through 20-25 minutes of Albuturol and Saline - In certain instances, if the coughing is severe and hurts too badly to inhale the stuff, I just wait a couple hours and try again. Sometimes the body needs to settle down first.

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narelled23 | @narelled23 | 2 days ago
In reply to @ursala7 "@narelled23 I will agree with yourself and others to continue the nebulizing. I thought the same..." + (show)
Profile picture for Liz @ursala7

@narelled23 I will agree with yourself and others to continue the nebulizing. I thought the same thing at first - my brain said "this nebbing is causing more mucus for me to deal with, and it's not what I want to deal with today". A little lie my mind told me, but in a way it does create more congestion to deal with, because it;s diluting the sticky stuff and helping to move it - without the nebulizing, we're more vulnerable to infection because of not liquifying it and coughing it out. In fact, that's been my problem all along. If I have a day when I'm not coughing, I know I have to do more things to make myself cough - or the boom's going drop. I will say, during pneumonia, with accompanying inflamed air passages, I have a rough time getting through 20-25 minutes of Albuturol and Saline - In certain instances, if the coughing is severe and hurts too badly to inhale the stuff, I just wait a couple hours and try again. Sometimes the body needs to settle down first.

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@ursala7

Thank you...I have been nebulising for 5 years...am back on to it again.

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narelled23 | @narelled23 | 2 days ago
In reply to @blm1007blm1007 "@becleartoday Linda. Do you know of any well educated pulmonologist in the area of Bronchiectasis in..." + (show)
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@becleartoday
Linda.
Do you know of any well educated pulmonologist in the area of Bronchiectasis in Australia or possibly a Center of Excellence, if they have one, in Australia?
Just in case our Mayo Connect Friend in Australia , narelled23, might need or could use this information.
Barbara

Jump to this post

@blm1007blm1007
@becleartoday

Thank you Barbara.

Linda, I am in Perth, Western Australia and while I have been to both SCGH and Royal Perth Hospital specialists they are not suitable for acute situations because of the wait period so I am hoping to find a recommendation to someone knowledgeable to intervene quickly if necessary.
Many thanks. 🙏

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