Hardly any sputum today. Plus a question

@pgpunch Hi, I'm in the same bought. Same skimpy amount of mucus. Have MAC and on the big 3. On Brinsupri. Doing the nebbing, doing the vest (which respirologist said (for my case) can take the place of OPEP. Walk and exercise as I'm able, take mucinex. I know there's junk down in my lungs too, because in the very late evenings, and middle of the night, it comes up - thick and sticky and colored. Not a lot, but even a little blob makes a terrible rattle, feels choking, and blocks the airway until I expel it. Not getting good sleep because of this. I got some mullein drops and they seemed to loosen stuff up a little. I am almost 77, so I've been wondering if I'm just not robust enough anymore to hock stuff up. I also wonder if the Brinsupri (and maybe in combo with Mucinex and the neb meds) has dried me up to the point where my worst offending mucus (the deep seated thick stuff) cannot be budged. So I sympathize with you!

@ursala7
If you know where the bronchiectasis/MAC is then perhaps you can target those areas with appropriate positions? Firm pillows help a lot for positioning.

@irenea8 Thanks for the suggestion. I will give it a try!

@scoop Thanks so much - I appreciate it. I need to do more dedicated airway clearance techniques, besides my vest and nebbing, but it's difficult to know on any given day when the mucus will be on the move. It's pointless to go through a ton of effort until nature calls. Because I am so advanced in lung involvement, there is always a lot of sputum pooling and when I do feel things moving, I take advantage and get really active - even if I'm at the grocery store - I go find some quiet aisle, get interested in something on the bottom shelf, for example, and the stooping sometimes aids me in expelling. I am going to go to Mayo in MN for second opinion and hopefully more help with my unresolved infections. Hopefully I'll understand the extent of my issues better after that.

@ger8 try Linda Espisito’s Be Clear website. She has multiple videos and will be discussing airway clearance in detail next week as well.

@tropauer There is such a thing as dry bronchiectasis, where little to no mucus produced. Based on CT images, which show mucus and plugs in airways, your pulmonologist can tell if you have it.

@grammyvictoria I do Diaphragmatic Breathing, Deep Breathing, Pursed Lip, Box and Segmental. 5 minutes each, 2x day. https://www.respiratorytherapyzone.com/pulmonary-rehab-exercises/
With the Aerobika, I take a deep breath and hold for a count of 6, then breath through the Aerobika. I don't do the different positions because I never found a routine that worked well for me. There are so many options, I just found what works for me. The Autogenic Drainage app worked too. I don't use it much anymore just because I can't do it all. I feel the breathing exercises are important for many reasons and they help with clearance so I get a double whammy.

@tropauer
For sure.

@sueinmn thank Sue for no pun intended, bringing this up. I didn’t know the CT could be used to diagnose dry Bronchiestases. I have some plugging shown in my scans and some during a bronchoscopy but don’t produce anything. I’ve assumed mine is dry but it’s never been officially diagnosed that way. I also had MAC first before BE was diagnosed.

@sueinmn

Ok, but “mild BE” exists right? Seems that there would be less sputum if that’s the case…?