Re: sputum cultures

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Joy

I can sympathize with your hospital ordeal of cannulas, blood tests etc for 2 weeks. I have had to endure them on a number of occasions. Last time I saw my specialist he suggested 2 weeks in hospital for IVs in June. It would be a year since the last time. Interestingly I am feeling remarkably well. Last sputum test came back with no pseudo! You could have knocked me over with a feather I was so shocked! That was in December when I was beginning to feel unwell & just before I came down with a very acute infection. I didn't go into hospital but the specialist said I probably should have. It would have been in Christmas Eve & I really didn't fancy going in. Anyway I improved.

Late last year I read in the paper that in Britain they were testing the use of garlic tablets on CF patients with pseudo. Subsequent research has revealed that the garlic interrupts the "breeding" of the pseudo & makes it more suseptical to tobramycin. As a result I have been taking garlic tablets for a number of months now & as I also nebulise tobramycin I'm wondering if I am feeling the benefit of it now. The sputum is less, clearer & easier to cough up. I am feeling very fit, well & energised. I'll be interested to see the results of the next sputum test & what my specialist says in June when I see him. I certainly don't feel sick enough to go into hospital in June as organized.

I hope you are feeling better soon Joy.

Keep well everyone. Theresa

Subject: Re: sputum culturesTo: "bronchiectasis " <bronchiectasis >Date: Thursday, April 24, 2008, 1:09 AM

I’m getting a sense of the duration for testing depends on:

testing for a specific known pathogen

number of pathogens looked for – unknown/suspected

type of pathogenDespite having this all my life, it still amazes me how little I know – but also that when asked a direct question it is still so hard to get a sensible reply. I’d be happy with “don’t know†rather than evasiveness, avoidance, blankness – all of which i’ve had way too much of. How do we find out?Tony, and - Re night sweats, A few yrs ago I heard that I may have had ‘some TB activity’ causing the sweats. I have also read in web-research that bronch does not have temps/sweats. I used to have soaking night sweats – I’d sleep with towels under me and on top so that I didn’t soak sheets and have to wash all my bedding every day (I was full-time working then). TB

was pretty alive and well in my infancy, and was in hospitals very likely in same wards as TB patients...,I have been told that to test for more than the first pathogen that pops up, then it takes longer, not sure what could/would take six weeks...I came home Monday night from 14 days in hospital, Timentin IV x 4/24 hrs, Gentamycin 6pm daily.... The evenings were a marathon, the 4am IV meant I rarely got more than 4-5 hrs sleep max without being woken... This is my 2nd time (1st was 05). I can sympathise with Nyzki about needles- a week of cannulas, then picc line, and almost daily blood tests in whichever arm not already in use, to test if Genta levels needed adjusting, or other... Both arms and hands are bruised... wished I had a laptop, and the means to log on, for some company, talk to anyone who might understand what an ordeal it is ... Have decided I can’t do hospitals any more,

there have to be ways of having abx at home, or I decline and have yet to find out if palliative med could/would be available. Still feel flaky/shaky, not really ‘well’ by any stretch of the imagination or wishfullness. ...!!! VERY glad to be home, have now had 3 nights reasonable sleep, finally shaking the feeling of total sleep deprivation exhaustion.. .. And glad to have my own food, if and when I want/need. Joy

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