Bronchiectasis what are the stages and symptoms

I am a newcomer to this Blog. I have been diagnosed with Bronchiectasis about 10 years ago. I have since changed to another Pulmonologist who has prescribed an Inhaler with Flovent HFA 220mcg twice daily. While using this I have had many flare-ups. I have finally asked the doctor to change to a "drive Power Neb Ultra" using Albutrol Sulfate Inhalation Solution 0.083% 2.5mg. I also have a MAC colony at the bottom of my lungs and have had Pseudomonas. The nubulizer is incredibly loud, I use it once a day and cough several times while using it. Is saline solution better to use? Is there a better practice to try? I am still coughing quite a bit. I have had a ClariFix procedure in my nasal passages which was supposed to stop my nasal drainage which has always been extensive since birth. This procedure has helped to eliminate the drainage but I am coughing quite a bit at night also get spells during the day. ANY RECOMMENDATIONS???? Thank You!!!

Welcome. You will find this to be a very supportive group. I have learned souch from others. We are all different so so what works for one does not work for another. I used 3 different timhslers and each made breathing more difficult. Then switched to nebulizer. Yes the compressor is loud., But worth it to get the gunk out of my lungs. Now I am using Levalbuterol, followed by 7 percent NaCl , followed by budesonide. This is 2 times a day with nasal rinses and salt water garrhkes. I g
Have also tried 3 different prescription nasal sprays fur the chronic rhinitis. They also made breathing more difficult although they helped with the nasal drainage. I could not be ulize albuter because it made me too shaky and rapid pulse. Levalbuterol works best for me. I am using Aerobikas well as percussion vest. Airway clearance is a daily or 2 or more times daily routine and when I have tried to get my with one time a day, I pay the price for several days afterwards until I can get most of the extra accumulation out. Bronchiectasis airway clearance has to come before anything else for me.

Well, things do change! My daughter convinced me to try the Philips Innospire Go, and I am hooked. It takes me from 4-5 minutes to (silently) inhale my saline. A charge lasts nearly a month, and I can easily take it anywhere with me. Old Green is sitting sadly on his shelf. The mist from the Innospire is so fast & fine that I no longer need the Aerobika to bring up mucus. I will hand on to it as a backup, but anticipate the Innospire working for my grands as well.
Sue

Raney, you asked, “ Is there any way to shorten the time of nebulizer?” Smart aleck answer: yeah turn it off earlier. Actually though that’s the thing to do. Throttle back a bit and see what happens. If you do that and live to tell about it do it again a few days later. If things go South, e.g., a flare up into full fledged bronchitis with fever it’s probably time to cool your jets for spell. You probably get the drift. I discovered I get along okay with one rather than two nebulizer sessions daily. Try it and see what happens. Don

Hi Sue. I’m new to Mayo Connect and was intrigued by how fast you a
Said the Innospire Go works. Has 4-5 minutes been sufficient enough time for you to clear your lungs during a single session? I currently use Big Green with Aerobika and 7% saline and use till all solution is gone, 25-30 minutes. I’d love to cut that down to 5 minutes! I have asthma and bronchiectasis. Thanks.

Well, the neb is that fast - my huffing and coughing take anywhere from 5-20 minutes after that, depending on how gunky my lungs are. With 7% saline, and daily doses of Mucinex and N-acetyl cysteine, usually I am done coughing within 5-10 minutes. If I skip a day of meds or nebbing, or if my allergies are bad, it gets longer.
This morning I am living dangerously, with no neb, just to see how things go (but I did cough up a bunch of stuff with a few deep breaths and a few huffs.) By the way, once I start coughing stuff up easily, I sometimes don't finish all the solution - it depends on the day. Also, I find the neb and coughing work better after my morning walk or 30-45 minutes or yoga of 30 minutes. Seems the extra breathing gets is all moving faster.
Sue

Wow, check out that Pari Vios "green monster" - or maybe your nebulizer cup. Mine dispenses 4ml of saline or duoneb in about 12 minutes using the Pari LC Plus nebulizer. My old Pari (over 10 years old) took a lot longer, so I replaced it with a new one from Walgreens for about $60. By the way, Pari also has an LC Sprint cup that's supposed to be even faster - I might try it next time. I buy neb supplies on line, and replace mine about every 3 months - cup and tubing.
Sue

@raney. I read your post about time spent doing airway clearance. Seems that you spend an awful lot of time at this. (3 Hours, twice a day) Have you been advised to do that? Can anyone else on this site comment on airway clearance that takes Raney so much time to accomplish? I feel awful saying to you that I now nebulize for about 6 minutes and cough for about 3 minutes. I do this only once a day but then I have a mild case of MAC and Bronchiectasis. I had ordered a flutter valve to try to vibrate the gunk off of the chest walls but found it ineffective. I know that many on this site use Guaifenesin (Musinex) to help relieve mucus. (I don't) But. I would never go without NAC....Just a thought. Here is a link for you to check out the potential benefits.
I googled MAC & NAC ...afraid of getting a cheezy recipe. Although none directly related to MAC, there are so many articles on NAC in relation to lung health, clearance, reduction of exacerbations etc. and mycobacterias...Following is one I found particularly interesting and I post an excerpt from the article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5084440/ It is entitled N-acetyl-cysteine exhibits potent anti-mycobacterial activity in addition to its know anti-oxidative functions. I personally take NAC 600 mg 2x a day..made by NOW but lately it is not offered by NOW and it seems that NAC is harder to find due to the possibility of FDA classification as a drug. (so the rumor goes). You can still find it but it is getting more difficult. Best of luck to you and wishing you good health and luck on this journey. Kate

Hi, Kate. I am going through orders posts due to a new diagnosis of bronchiectasis (I also have asthma and am trying to get enough sample for a mucus test, hopefully this week ). I have read things of NAC, too. But I think I read somewhere about possible contraindications with asthma. Do you know anything on this? Thanks!