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Do I Need to Isolate with Pseudomonas
I had a bronchoscopy and the lab says I have pseudomonas aeruginosa. I am 73 and live alone. All of my close friends are my age or older. Presumably all of our immune systems are somewhat weakened by age. My pulmonologist says I do not need to isolate from my friends. Internet says yes and no. To be on the safe side, I think I should isolate until I get a clean culture, which may be some time from now. I recently completed two weeks of ciprofloxacin. I have a CT scan on November 10th and a follow-up office visit on November 20th. I cough very little, particularly when taking Azelastine Hydrochloride Nasal Spray. My friends are people who don't eat inside at restaurants due to fear of Covid, so I suspect any social interaction with me will be out of the question in any case. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
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@irenea8
The only "retest" that I am aware of is a CT scan that I have scheduled for November 10, 2025. Then I meet with the pulmonologist on November 20, 2025. I don't think the scan can show bacterial strains. I think I need another laboratory test for that. I will ask the doctor that on the 20th. I don't want another bronchoscopy right now, so I hope my sputum will be sufficient for a lab test, which I sort of doubt it will due to the very small amount of clear/white fluid that comes up. I assume the CT scan just shows signs of infection like nodules, inflammation, and abscesses which, in my case, could perhaps be caused by either the Pseudomonas A or the Mycobacterium Intracellular. As you have probably already concluded by now, I really don't know what I am talking about. 🙃😄 Thanks for the tip on the Tobramycin!
@mark1952 Hi Mark, 99%-wow! Congratulations! I wish. I'm now at 96% and thought that was amazing. I was at NJH 2 months ago and my culture showed Rare Pseudomonas and Dr Haas put me on 750 mg twice daily for 10 days. She told me they had seen success with high dose when caught early. I was getting tested monthly for my MABS, so I know I just recently got it. When I got the script filled, the pharmacist asked me if I was seeing a specialist since he has rarely seen such a high dose of Ciprofloxacin. I hope it took care of it. I need to send in another sputum sample in next few weeks for a recheck. A side note: In clearing the lungs, cilia work in synchrony, floating and pushing up contaminants-up and out the airway. I think it was Dr McShane that said, "think or envision escalators". With Bronchiectasis, we are missing parts of the escalator, and with the expanded airway-it's a dumping ground for everything.
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2 Reactions@mark1952
Oh so no sputum for testing? You would need a sputum test to see if the Pseudo is gone. But if you have none to produce that is a very good sign. I have tons every day which is common with Pseudomonas. And the sputum test is a specific test for Pseudomonas.
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