Have MAC and coughing up blood

@marciefincher Hi, I coughed up blood before. It was liquid blood mixed with pieces. It came on very suddenly and I had no other symptoms except coughing and excess mucus due to allergies. I went to the ER because the quantity of blood was substantial. They kept me there overnight (I went in the evening) and the blood kept coming out throughout the night, soaking up a number of paper towels. It subsided by early next morning and completely stopped by midday. It sure was terrifying to see huge amount of blood coming out every time I coughed. I was subsequently diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC. That was 5+ years ago and it has not returned since. That was the only time it's happened to me so far.

Marciefincher. I too have experienced haemoptasis (not sure of spelling). I had been coughing quite a bit... hard coughing. It was quite a shock to cough up so much Bright red blood and it was after that that I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and Mac. I haven’t had an episode since, but have had some blood mixed with mucus at various times. It is my understanding that haemoptasis is one of the symptoms of this Ntm.

I have coughed up blood on several different occasions It doesn't last long. And the intervals are 4-6 months. My specialist suggest getting picture after each incident. jerry s/

I have bronchiectasis. My the last two weeks I have been coughing up red blood. Not tingles but quarter size pieces. This has happened a few times before but not on a regular basis. I have a call in to Mayo and am waiting to hear back. Has anyone else has this happen to them?

@marciefincher I coughed up significant blood about two and a half years ago out of nowhere. Went to urgent care- this led to my diagnosis of bronchiectasis and MAC. Has happened about 4 times since then- nebulizing 7% saline seems to bring it on now, since I have stopped that I have not had any problems. I have been told to go to the ER if it is more than 1/4 cup.

Hi @marciefincher, I moved your message and all the replies you got to this previous discussion about coughing up blood to bring everyone together. 🙂

Hi, Marciefincher. I, too, have coughed up blood several times. I went to the ER in January due it being "more than 2 tablespoons". I was told by my pulmonologist to go to ER if more than 2 tablespoons. I was in the hospital 3 days while they monitored me. The hospital was really on top of things. Once I was out and saw my doctors, my pulmonologist told me, ok, we've got a regiment in place now. He told me the next time it's a lot, wait to see if it stops. If it doesn't seem to be stopping, head to the ER and now the hospital knows who I am and what to do. He told me normally, it does stop on it's own, if not, then they have to go in and seal up those pesky capillaries. But if you've never coughed up anything before, I think you should go see your doctor, and like so many of us, get a plan . Don't be afraid. Best wishes, @marciefincher ! Toni

Interesting. I guess the allergies tend to irritate the bronchi even more, hence, cough up blood and bring about more coughing. Thanks!

I've also coughed up blood a couple of times. Most recently, just before Christmas. It just seems to bubble up. I hadn't been coughing excessively prior to it happening. Although I know it is a symptom of Bronchiectasis, it's still a scary thing when it happens, and, I still get very nervous! I went to my Dr. the next day just so he can check my lungs and so he's aware of when it happens.

@marciefincher I've coughed up about 2-3 TBS blood twice over the past 3 years (a combination of red blood and clots). The first time, I went to the ER and that, eventually, led (after about 1 ½ yrs) to the diagnosis of bronchiectasis and MAC. I cough in the mornings, but don’t really have any other symptoms and don’t take any antibiotics. I exercise/walk 2-3 miles daily. I've been investigating whether coughing up blood may actually be a good thing in MAC. In my reading of MAC articles, I found one called "Retrospective study of the predictors of mortality and radiographic deterioration in 782 patients with nodular/brochiectatic MAC lung disease" by Gochi et al. ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26246077 ) From the article, very few people seemed to die of MAC-related issues. The women with bloody sputum fared the best. I'm trying to find out why.