Help!

[Jellybaby]

Hi!
So to put a long story short I have only had iv antibiotics once and 3 weeks ago I was admitted for my second time because I was coughing up bloody sputum. Anyways everything is going well I feel great my lung function has gone from 54% to 61% but today my sputum is all blood again! This just seems to not want to go away! I'm on vit k also and have stopped hypertonic saline nebuliser. Has anyone else had a hard time trying to get this to calm down?

 

[Gorf]

My first time years ago with blood, I contracted the germ pseudomonas. You didn't state if the blood was streaked in mucus or bright dark red. Coughing hard can make you streak blood in the mucus. What is the duration of the blood coming up. All things the docs ask me.

 

[marisalynn]

I have had episodes of hemoptysis several times over the last couple of years. For me, it seems to be somewhat random, but I have had a lot of increased congestion, therefore more coughing lately, and I did have an episode a couple of weeks ago. My doc has never seemed to be overly concerned about it. They have always said as long as it is less than 1/4 cup or so and that it doesn't greatly increase in frequency, that's it's just a "normal" occurrence. I wish I had more advice to give you. I completely understand how unnerving it is to cough up blood. I hope it stops for you.

Marisa, 26w/CF

 

[Jellybaby]

@Gorf thanks for advice. Yes my blood would be streaky quite often anyways but now it's just all fresh blood, I would say about maybe a teaspoon at the most. I have pseudomonas also even though that hasn't being showing up the last few months chances are it's still there! @marisalynn thanks so much, I would say mine is about a teaspoons worth, just can't seem to settle it down and hope it doesn't get worse because I feel good otherwise haha

 

[athletixbc]

While it's true that the CF doctors don't usually consider it an emergency until you cough up more than 1/4 cup of frank blood within an hour, I've always been told that any amount of bloody sputum and especially frank blood (except in the hour or so immediately following hypertonic saline, which you say you stopped) are a sign that infection is still lingering and you should still be on antibiotics.

This is something to call your doctor about to discuss it. It's better to continue antibiotics now than to wait until your lung function drops again!

 

[Jellybaby]

Thanks everyone....not too sure if this is the best plan but phoned doctor this morning and she said that because my sputum has always been a little streaky and that that's my baseline it's no big deal so to continue with all treatments, even though I'm getting sputum that is all blood at the moment! She said to wait a while continue everything and just to contact them if I cough up large amounts of blood. It also mightn't help that I have a very low platelet count of 20....hoping this will sort itself out! QUICKLY

 

[randmel89]

I suffer from hemoptysis ( coughing up blood) quite a bit. I find that when I'm getting up blood if I drink ice water it helps to calm my irritated throat and my cough lessens. I have only had one sever blood attack and it sent me to the ER and then threw me into ICU. I lost all most 4 quarts of blood. I sure hope it stops for you soon. It can be a very scary thing to endure. I have always been told if I get up more than 1/4 cup in one cough then to go straight to the ER. Get to feeling better soon..