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Feeling Desperate about Cough and Doctor
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Oct 21, 2023 | Replies (8)Comment receiving replies
@rebecross Welcome to Mayo Connect, I am sure you will find some helpful suggestions for dealing with this from our members.
You have a diagnosis of bronchiectasis, which means your airways are not efficient at removing mucus and irritants deep in your lungs so pockets of infection form. You mentioned that you are on Azithromycin 3 times a week, but not whether you had had a sputum test to determine what is infecting your lungs. There could be any number of infectious agents at work there, and not all of them will respond to that drug. The proper test is called a sputum culture, where they grow out the sample on special culture plates in the lab for 6-8 weeks, then test different antibiotics on the sample to see which are most effective.
It is very important for people with bronchiectasis to know the "bug" and treat it with the correct medications to prevent further lung damage. Also, treating with just one medication can cause antibiotic resistance in the germs.
Have you had a sputum test to see what is infecting your lungs?
Sue
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Hi Sue,
Yes we did a sputum test, and it came up negative for other infections, after the 8 week wait for things to grow. Thanks for this reminder!
When Azithro came up I was insistent that she explain why I'd be given this if I had no active infections ( my sputum is always clear or white) and was told that this particular drug can change the "immuno-environment in the lungs" and proved a long term benefit and MAYBE reduce the coughing. We;re still experiment with dosage at this point, as I could not tolerate the initial 500 mg. We'll see!
Thanks again! Rebecca