RE: New to all this!!

May 1, 2004

Hi June,

I am not familiar with some of the medications that you are using since you live in another country. I had to go to a nearby emergency room several years ago with what they first thought was an asthma attack. It turned out to be a bronchiectasis infection. My two triggers for breathing problems are weather changes, especially involving wind, and stress. That night we were having very stormy weather and I was also under a lot of stress. Once they got my lungs opened up with breathing treatments, I was able to cough up some mucus and a culture was taken. They gave me a Prednisone shot, and I was given an oral antibiotic after the bacteria in the culture was determined. I cannot take the Prednisone tablets any more. Last December I was having such a bad tickle in my chest due to high winds, that my pulmonary doctor prescribed the Med-Dos-Pak of Prednisone--you start taking five tablets the first day, four the next until there are none left. The oral tablet affects my heart condition and makes me very nervous. Also I cannot eat or sleep. For my breathing treatments I use Xopenex (similar to Albuterol) that opens my airways along with Muco-Mist that thins the mucus in my nebulizer two to three times daily--at least twice daily. In the evening I follow that treatment with postural drainage to make sure that I have coughed everything up. I also have a bronchodilator puffer (Flovent) that I use twice daily after two of the nebulizer treatments. When I take my breathing treatments, I also use a vest that I put on that inflates and shakes my chest and that helps to shake the mucus loose. I do have a rescue inhaler, Combivent puffer, that I carry with me with at all times. Sometimes at night I use that if I do not want to do a breathing treatment. I have taken Guafenesin tablets also. Before being diagnosed with bronchiectasis, my allergist prescribed it for me when I was diagnosed with bronchitis. Do you take allergy shots for your asthma? I did not have problems with allergies until I moved to the state of Texas. I had lived in the upper Midwest of the U.S. until about 22 years ago. About 14 years after I moved here I started having problems with allergies. My allergy is to mold. The mold is higher here than in the Midwest where I lived since we are not that far from the Gulf of Mexico and the humidity is much higher. I was not able to take my shots since I was in the hospital with pneumonia last month. I am going to start back on my shots next week since I know that they help me.

I am certainly glad that you have joined this group. I know it has helped me not only with depression but so much valuable information and support.

Best Regards and Wishes for Better Health,

Norma

May 1, 2004

>I have looked at the diagrams for postural

> drainage and tried to master it. Hubby gets exhausted pretty

> quickly thumping me on the back but it certainly helps, hopefully

> we will get used to doing it. Last night I was really bad and could

> not get my breath, nearly called an ambulance it was that

> serious. Now I don't know if I am having an asthma attack or if

> my lungs are just glued up. How do you know the difference? My

> biggest problem is when I am like that nothing seems to relieve

> it, what do other people take for an accute attack? The worst thing

is the feeling of panic as you can't breathe, so scary.

Drink water. Lots of water. I probably sound like a broken record on

this, but I can't stress enough how much just doing this helps me, by

thinning out the mucus. I drink usually between 2 and three liters of

water in a day, sometimes four if it's hot and I am sweating a lot.

It makes the postural drainage easier, too. Exercise if you can, as

much as you can. I take lots of walks, walking as quickly as I can

manage. And, for that panicky feeling when you can't breathe...well,

it is terrifying, but, when you feel the panic starting, try making

your breaths even slower, and concentrating on relaxing, because the

panic makes the problem worse. I take really hot showers, with the

fan off, because I breathe the steam and then cough gunk up. The

beauty of doing that in the shower is you don't have to worry about

catching it in a tissue- just goes down the drain.

How do I know the difference between my lungs being glued up and an

asthma attack? Well, I can't really explain- it just feels different,

and it's something that I learned through the last 25 years of having

this. It's like...I can feel the gunk in there, being all gluey, and

with an astham attack, it feels...raspy? Not sure how to explain it.

But you learn to be able to tell when you have too much gunk down there.

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. I have a lot

of experience with this.

Karin

May 2, 2004

hI June not sure if this can help

when i am feeling very tight and lack of air

I kneel on the floor or wahteever with my head

and arms reaching out in front of me

this opens the lungs and slows the breath down

i remember when I firat started having this happen to me

I would go into huge fear of not being able to breathe and would

i last the night out be so very happy when I saw the sun come up

i had got through another day

now i also have learnt to sit quitely where ever I am and focus on being

present with my self and slowly i can be in my breathing

I do live by myself and i only learnt this for myself over some time

but i do know for myself the more fear I went into the more harder for me to

breath

it is very very scary when it is early days

I also find I put my hands on my chest and this does ease me

and i do this where ever I am

okay take care

pamela maree

>

>Reply-To: bronchiectasis

>To: bronchiectasis

>Subject: New to all this!!

>Date: Sat, 01 May 2004 15:25:08 -0000

>

>Hi everyone, I just want to say a huge thank you to all those kind

>people who have sent me messages over the last 2 days. That

>has helped me so much to know I am not alone. Today I have

>managed to shake off the depression which I've been feeling

>since my diagnosis 2 days ago. I'm trying to be more positive

>and fight this thing!. I have looked at the diagrams for postural

>drainage and tried to master it. Hubby gets exhausted pretty

>quickly thumping me on the back but it certainly helps, hopefully

>we will get used to doing it. Last night I was really bad and could

>not get my breath, nearly called an ambulance it was that

>serious. Now I don't know if I am having an asthma attack or if

>my lungs are just glued up. How do you know the difference? My

>biggest problem is when I am like that nothing seems to relieve

>it, what do other people take for an accute attack? Last night I

>had Atrovine in my nebuliser and 2 Prednisolone tablets and

>eventually I got control. The worst thing is the feeling of panic as

>you can't breathe, so scary. My Ventolin inhaler seems pretty

>useless and I presume that is because the gunk in the lungs

>stops the Ventolin reaching into the lung? I have been taking lots

>of Guafenesin syrup to thin the mucus and that seems to

>help.Does anyone take Mucinex tablets which have been

>reccomended on the Asthma site, can't get them in Uk but am

>visiting the US next month so intend to try them then. Thanks

>again everyone June in London

>

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May 2, 2004