First Time Lung Infection

D

djotroy17

New member
I am 22 years old and I have a very moderate case of CF and have been extremely fortunate in my life so far and have not had any major lung problems and have only been hospitalized once when I was 3 years old.

However in the past year my cough has gotten worse and at first I kind of ignored it because I figured it would go away but it has very slowly gotten worse and right now my cough is worse than its ever been before. I woke up last night at 4am with a cough and every breath I took made me have to cough really bad and it ended up keeping me awake for 2-3 hours, at times I felt like vomiting from coughing so much. The mucus i cough up is green and kinda dark and sometimes has a little bit of blood in it. For the first time ever I have had to have a spit cup around to spit out all the mucus I cough up.

I have been with my girlfriend for 9 months and she has noticed my cough getting progressively worse also. She also says that my breath stinks bad even right after I brush my teeth and do mouthwash and she said when we started dating my breath did not smell bad...I am thinking the smell is from an infection and mucus in my lungs.

I am kind of scared because I have never been through anything like this before and never had a lung infection...I am going to see my CF doctor next Friday and I am wondering what I should expect? hospitlization? IV? antibiotics? ect...any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You.
 
D

djotroy17

New member
I am 22 years old and I have a very moderate case of CF and have been extremely fortunate in my life so far and have not had any major lung problems and have only been hospitalized once when I was 3 years old.

However in the past year my cough has gotten worse and at first I kind of ignored it because I figured it would go away but it has very slowly gotten worse and right now my cough is worse than its ever been before. I woke up last night at 4am with a cough and every breath I took made me have to cough really bad and it ended up keeping me awake for 2-3 hours, at times I felt like vomiting from coughing so much. The mucus i cough up is green and kinda dark and sometimes has a little bit of blood in it. For the first time ever I have had to have a spit cup around to spit out all the mucus I cough up.

I have been with my girlfriend for 9 months and she has noticed my cough getting progressively worse also. She also says that my breath stinks bad even right after I brush my teeth and do mouthwash and she said when we started dating my breath did not smell bad...I am thinking the smell is from an infection and mucus in my lungs.

I am kind of scared because I have never been through anything like this before and never had a lung infection...I am going to see my CF doctor next Friday and I am wondering what I should expect? hospitlization? IV? antibiotics? ect...any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You.
 
D

djotroy17

New member
I am 22 years old and I have a very moderate case of CF and have been extremely fortunate in my life so far and have not had any major lung problems and have only been hospitalized once when I was 3 years old.
<br />
<br />However in the past year my cough has gotten worse and at first I kind of ignored it because I figured it would go away but it has very slowly gotten worse and right now my cough is worse than its ever been before. I woke up last night at 4am with a cough and every breath I took made me have to cough really bad and it ended up keeping me awake for 2-3 hours, at times I felt like vomiting from coughing so much. The mucus i cough up is green and kinda dark and sometimes has a little bit of blood in it. For the first time ever I have had to have a spit cup around to spit out all the mucus I cough up.
<br />
<br />I have been with my girlfriend for 9 months and she has noticed my cough getting progressively worse also. She also says that my breath stinks bad even right after I brush my teeth and do mouthwash and she said when we started dating my breath did not smell bad...I am thinking the smell is from an infection and mucus in my lungs.
<br />
<br />I am kind of scared because I have never been through anything like this before and never had a lung infection...I am going to see my CF doctor next Friday and I am wondering what I should expect? hospitlization? IV? antibiotics? ect...any advice is greatly appreciated.
<br />
<br />Thank You.
 
D

djotroy17

New member
Now will I be able to get the antibiotics/IV the same day as my doctor appointment? Or will I have to wait for them to test my mucus sample to determine what I need?

Also what exactly is an oral antibiotic? Is it a pill, or some sort of inhaler?
 
D

djotroy17

New member
Now will I be able to get the antibiotics/IV the same day as my doctor appointment? Or will I have to wait for them to test my mucus sample to determine what I need?

Also what exactly is an oral antibiotic? Is it a pill, or some sort of inhaler?
 
D

djotroy17

New member
Now will I be able to get the antibiotics/IV the same day as my doctor appointment? Or will I have to wait for them to test my mucus sample to determine what I need?
<br />
<br />Also what exactly is an oral antibiotic? Is it a pill, or some sort of inhaler?
 
B

BaylorCrew07

New member
I'm not sure if they will want to wait on the results of your sputum culture before admitting you or starting on antibiotics...I can call my doc when I feel something coming on and she'll call in cipro for me, but my infections are not as intense as what you're describing, so I'm not sure on the protocol for that.

Oral antibiotics = pills (cipro, levaquin, etc)

Hope you're feeling better soon
 
B

BaylorCrew07

New member
I'm not sure if they will want to wait on the results of your sputum culture before admitting you or starting on antibiotics...I can call my doc when I feel something coming on and she'll call in cipro for me, but my infections are not as intense as what you're describing, so I'm not sure on the protocol for that.

Oral antibiotics = pills (cipro, levaquin, etc)

Hope you're feeling better soon
 
B

BaylorCrew07

New member
I'm not sure if they will want to wait on the results of your sputum culture before admitting you or starting on antibiotics...I can call my doc when I feel something coming on and she'll call in cipro for me, but my infections are not as intense as what you're describing, so I'm not sure on the protocol for that.
<br />
<br />Oral antibiotics = pills (cipro, levaquin, etc)
<br />
<br />Hope you're feeling better soon
 
P

peter

New member
Compliance is often a culprit in the details. You have posted enough to know this is the place to ask. So make sure you are doing your treatments and keep in touch with your center. Good luck with your "plan" of care.
Peter
 
P

peter

New member
Compliance is often a culprit in the details. You have posted enough to know this is the place to ask. So make sure you are doing your treatments and keep in touch with your center. Good luck with your "plan" of care.
Peter
 
P

peter

New member
Compliance is often a culprit in the details. You have posted enough to know this is the place to ask. So make sure you are doing your treatments and keep in touch with your center. Good luck with your "plan" of care.
<br />Peter
 
J

Jeana

New member
Usually my doctor will start me on something based on what I have cultured previously. Then, when the culture comes back, he changes the plan of attack if necessary.

Try not to be scared of a hospitalization. It can really help to get you cleaned out and back to your usual self. It really freaked me out when I was first hospitalized, but I felt so much better. It was so worth it and being hospitalized about once a year has helped keep my FEV1 stable for the past 10 years. Not saying that you need to be hospitalized, but if you do.
 
J

Jeana

New member
Usually my doctor will start me on something based on what I have cultured previously. Then, when the culture comes back, he changes the plan of attack if necessary.

Try not to be scared of a hospitalization. It can really help to get you cleaned out and back to your usual self. It really freaked me out when I was first hospitalized, but I felt so much better. It was so worth it and being hospitalized about once a year has helped keep my FEV1 stable for the past 10 years. Not saying that you need to be hospitalized, but if you do.
 
J

Jeana

New member
Usually my doctor will start me on something based on what I have cultured previously. Then, when the culture comes back, he changes the plan of attack if necessary.
<br />
<br />Try not to be scared of a hospitalization. It can really help to get you cleaned out and back to your usual self. It really freaked me out when I was first hospitalized, but I felt so much better. It was so worth it and being hospitalized about once a year has helped keep my FEV1 stable for the past 10 years. Not saying that you need to be hospitalized, but if you do.
 
J

JustDucky

New member
It's good you are seeing your doc...CF is such a sneaky disease, things can be seemingly going fine and then things change. Your doc will do PFT"s, if they have dropped significantly, then they might go right to IV's or hospitalization even. If you are really new to IV's and they decide on that route, sometimes they will keep you a few days, get your meds sorted out as well as educate you on home IV therapy before they release you to home. I am not saying this will happen, but it is a possibility. They will of course culture you to see exactly what is growing in your lungs. Make sure the docs answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, especially now that things have changed for you. What are you on now for meds? Any CPT or nebulizers?
Definitely call your doc if things get worse for you or you just become so uncomfortable, such as running fevers and such. They might want to see you earlier if that is the case.
I hope this helps and that you get on the path to feeling better soon. You will be amazed how well you feel once the right drugs/regime are in place.

Hugs, Jenn
 
J

JustDucky

New member
It's good you are seeing your doc...CF is such a sneaky disease, things can be seemingly going fine and then things change. Your doc will do PFT"s, if they have dropped significantly, then they might go right to IV's or hospitalization even. If you are really new to IV's and they decide on that route, sometimes they will keep you a few days, get your meds sorted out as well as educate you on home IV therapy before they release you to home. I am not saying this will happen, but it is a possibility. They will of course culture you to see exactly what is growing in your lungs. Make sure the docs answer all of your questions to your satisfaction, especially now that things have changed for you. What are you on now for meds? Any CPT or nebulizers?
Definitely call your doc if things get worse for you or you just become so uncomfortable, such as running fevers and such. They might want to see you earlier if that is the case.
I hope this helps and that you get on the path to feeling better soon. You will be amazed how well you feel once the right drugs/regime are in place.

Hugs, Jenn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top