Productive mucus?

R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Maggie has had a really bad virus; might have been the flu..She seems like she is getting better; still has 5 days left on cipro and zyvox, finished TOBI yesterday. She is coughing significantly less...Mostly only doing HTS and VEST(though she usually doesn;t cough while doing these when she is well)...Anyway this morning she kept saying her throat was tight and sore... She told me she did not cough at school and even the teacher said yesterday she heard no coughing.

I sent her to school. When I picked her up she coughed up some mucus, yellow in color...She has never done this before.. SHould I be concerned? Is it stuff just now able to get out? She had been really sick and truly is so much better but had cultured pseudomonas for the first time prior to this horrible virus.

I feel like I can't stop worrying about her. SHe has a followup appointment is 6 days for a reculture and PFTS and stuff, Should I wait til then to talk to the doc about the mucus?
 
R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Maggie has had a really bad virus; might have been the flu..She seems like she is getting better; still has 5 days left on cipro and zyvox, finished TOBI yesterday. She is coughing significantly less...Mostly only doing HTS and VEST(though she usually doesn;t cough while doing these when she is well)...Anyway this morning she kept saying her throat was tight and sore... She told me she did not cough at school and even the teacher said yesterday she heard no coughing.

I sent her to school. When I picked her up she coughed up some mucus, yellow in color...She has never done this before.. SHould I be concerned? Is it stuff just now able to get out? She had been really sick and truly is so much better but had cultured pseudomonas for the first time prior to this horrible virus.

I feel like I can't stop worrying about her. SHe has a followup appointment is 6 days for a reculture and PFTS and stuff, Should I wait til then to talk to the doc about the mucus?
 
R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
Maggie has had a really bad virus; might have been the flu..She seems like she is getting better; still has 5 days left on cipro and zyvox, finished TOBI yesterday. She is coughing significantly less...Mostly only doing HTS and VEST(though she usually doesn;t cough while doing these when she is well)...Anyway this morning she kept saying her throat was tight and sore... She told me she did not cough at school and even the teacher said yesterday she heard no coughing.
<br />
<br />I sent her to school. When I picked her up she coughed up some mucus, yellow in color...She has never done this before.. SHould I be concerned? Is it stuff just now able to get out? She had been really sick and truly is so much better but had cultured pseudomonas for the first time prior to this horrible virus.
<br />
<br />I feel like I can't stop worrying about her. SHe has a followup appointment is 6 days for a reculture and PFTS and stuff, Should I wait til then to talk to the doc about the mucus?
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
We are going thru the same excat thing right now with my 6yo. She has RSV and rhino virus now and we have been in the hospital for 15 days and are waiting on what the next plan is...In my opinion do not wait - I waited a month thinking her cough would go away by upping her treatments taking cipro & Tobi because she also cultured PA last Nov. She has had 3 clean cultures so I thought we were getting better! She would also cough up green yellow mucus sometimes with blood streaks. She never ever coughed at all with her vest and never coughed up anything so I would constantly call the cf clinic. It turns out she has 2 HUGE mucus plugs that has collapsed her lower lung lobe. Her PFTs are 54 and that was after a brochoscopy last Sunday. The doc said there was so much mucus that he could not get it all and we are planning another bronch probably next week. The xray before and after showed NO DIFFERENCE. Demand an X-ray now!!!! Hopefully if it is
a mucus plug you can get it out early. We are getting her PFTs tested today and if they are still low I
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
We are going thru the same excat thing right now with my 6yo. She has RSV and rhino virus now and we have been in the hospital for 15 days and are waiting on what the next plan is...In my opinion do not wait - I waited a month thinking her cough would go away by upping her treatments taking cipro & Tobi because she also cultured PA last Nov. She has had 3 clean cultures so I thought we were getting better! She would also cough up green yellow mucus sometimes with blood streaks. She never ever coughed at all with her vest and never coughed up anything so I would constantly call the cf clinic. It turns out she has 2 HUGE mucus plugs that has collapsed her lower lung lobe. Her PFTs are 54 and that was after a brochoscopy last Sunday. The doc said there was so much mucus that he could not get it all and we are planning another bronch probably next week. The xray before and after showed NO DIFFERENCE. Demand an X-ray now!!!! Hopefully if it is
a mucus plug you can get it out early. We are getting her PFTs tested today and if they are still low I
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
We are going thru the same excat thing right now with my 6yo. She has RSV and rhino virus now and we have been in the hospital for 15 days and are waiting on what the next plan is...In my opinion do not wait - I waited a month thinking her cough would go away by upping her treatments taking cipro & Tobi because she also cultured PA last Nov. She has had 3 clean cultures so I thought we were getting better! She would also cough up green yellow mucus sometimes with blood streaks. She never ever coughed at all with her vest and never coughed up anything so I would constantly call the cf clinic. It turns out she has 2 HUGE mucus plugs that has collapsed her lower lung lobe. Her PFTs are 54 and that was after a brochoscopy last Sunday. The doc said there was so much mucus that he could not get it all and we are planning another bronch probably next week. The xray before and after showed NO DIFFERENCE. Demand an X-ray now!!!! Hopefully if it is
<br />a mucus plug you can get it out early. We are getting her PFTs tested today and if they are still low I
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Sorry- I was just going to finish up by saying I am going to be so worried if her PFTs are not any better! They are calling it althesis (sp) has anyone else had this experience????? She has been very healthy up until now...I am scared this is going to scar her lungs and her functions will be forever low.
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Sorry- I was just going to finish up by saying I am going to be so worried if her PFTs are not any better! They are calling it althesis (sp) has anyone else had this experience????? She has been very healthy up until now...I am scared this is going to scar her lungs and her functions will be forever low.
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Sorry- I was just going to finish up by saying I am going to be so worried if her PFTs are not any better! They are calling it althesis (sp) has anyone else had this experience????? She has been very healthy up until now...I am scared this is going to scar her lungs and her functions will be forever low.
 
R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
I am so sorry you are going through this. How do you get rid of a mucus plug? Isn't that why we do Hypertonic saline and VEST and pulmozyme and all that stuff? Maggie has an appointment in 5 days so I am going to discuss my many concerns with the CF doc. I really hope your daughter's PFT's come up.
 
R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
I am so sorry you are going through this. How do you get rid of a mucus plug? Isn't that why we do Hypertonic saline and VEST and pulmozyme and all that stuff? Maggie has an appointment in 5 days so I am going to discuss my many concerns with the CF doc. I really hope your daughter's PFT's come up.
 
R

Rebjane

Super Moderator
I am so sorry you are going through this. How do you get rid of a mucus plug? Isn't that why we do Hypertonic saline and VEST and pulmozyme and all that stuff? Maggie has an appointment in 5 days so I am going to discuss my many concerns with the CF doc. I really hope your daughter's PFT's come up.
 
M

Melissa75

Administrator
Blythe,
Atelectasis? Could that be what the dr meant?
(I get that, in my case small but painful, caused by plugs.)
I am sorry your daughter is having such a hard time. When she is feeling better and if you do not have it already, see if she can use an Acapella valve. I have found that helps when I feel the pain I associate with a plug. That and serious manual CPT have actually made one loosen up once instead of cause atelectasis, followed by infection/pneumonia.
 
M

Melissa75

Administrator
Blythe,
Atelectasis? Could that be what the dr meant?
(I get that, in my case small but painful, caused by plugs.)
I am sorry your daughter is having such a hard time. When she is feeling better and if you do not have it already, see if she can use an Acapella valve. I have found that helps when I feel the pain I associate with a plug. That and serious manual CPT have actually made one loosen up once instead of cause atelectasis, followed by infection/pneumonia.
 
M

Melissa75

Administrator
Blythe,
<br />Atelectasis? Could that be what the dr meant?
<br />(I get that, in my case small but painful, caused by plugs.)
<br />I am sorry your daughter is having such a hard time. When she is feeling better and if you do not have it already, see if she can use an Acapella valve. I have found that helps when I feel the pain I associate with a plug. That and serious manual CPT have actually made one loosen up once instead of cause atelectasis, followed by infection/pneumonia.
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Hi Melissa,
Yes it is called Atelectasis. She is out of the hospital now <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">! She still has so much mucus in her right lower lobe. We are doing manual CPT in the postral drainage postion which seems to make her cough more than the vest. I am ordering the Acapella valve today. She loved the flutter in the hospital but we have broke 2 of them. We tried the IPV in the hospital too but she did not quite get the hang of it. How long did the plugs take to resolve??? We are scheduled to go back and do ANOTHER brochoscopy in 2 weeks. The doc said there was so much mucus that it clogged his adult scope- and she is only 6yo! Bless her heart! The broch culture did show aspergillous (fungus) but they are not treating at this point because it due to the fact that it is just from the plug sitting for so long. Her pfts went from low 42 to high 81 so i hope they are moving out. From what i understand time will tell...
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Hi Melissa,
Yes it is called Atelectasis. She is out of the hospital now <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">! She still has so much mucus in her right lower lobe. We are doing manual CPT in the postral drainage postion which seems to make her cough more than the vest. I am ordering the Acapella valve today. She loved the flutter in the hospital but we have broke 2 of them. We tried the IPV in the hospital too but she did not quite get the hang of it. How long did the plugs take to resolve??? We are scheduled to go back and do ANOTHER brochoscopy in 2 weeks. The doc said there was so much mucus that it clogged his adult scope- and she is only 6yo! Bless her heart! The broch culture did show aspergillous (fungus) but they are not treating at this point because it due to the fact that it is just from the plug sitting for so long. Her pfts went from low 42 to high 81 so i hope they are moving out. From what i understand time will tell...
 
B

Brinlysmom

Guest
Hi Melissa,
<br />Yes it is called Atelectasis. She is out of the hospital now <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">! She still has so much mucus in her right lower lobe. We are doing manual CPT in the postral drainage postion which seems to make her cough more than the vest. I am ordering the Acapella valve today. She loved the flutter in the hospital but we have broke 2 of them. We tried the IPV in the hospital too but she did not quite get the hang of it. How long did the plugs take to resolve??? We are scheduled to go back and do ANOTHER brochoscopy in 2 weeks. The doc said there was so much mucus that it clogged his adult scope- and she is only 6yo! Bless her heart! The broch culture did show aspergillous (fungus) but they are not treating at this point because it due to the fact that it is just from the plug sitting for so long. Her pfts went from low 42 to high 81 so i hope they are moving out. From what i understand time will tell...
 
M

Melissa75

Administrator
Blythe,

I am so happy for you that your daughter is out of the hospital and that her PFTs are on the upswing.

It sounds like your CPT and postural drainage are working great! Maybe that just works better for her than the vest? Or maybe all the antibiotics have lowered the inflammation and junk is moving around because of that. Either way, you might some advice here or in person with a respiratory therapist about vesting strategies and combining it with the acapella. I was told to alternate them (10 min vest, 10 acapella breaths, cough, repeat the cycle) when I was in the hospital once.

I personally LOVE cpt more...and walking up hills. I don't know how long the plugs take to vacate to be honest. Do CPT everywhere, but know that the lower right lobe might be more vulnerable to replugging.

I hope the next bronch clears her out really well too and that the APBA is reduced or gone.
 
M

Melissa75

Administrator
Blythe,

I am so happy for you that your daughter is out of the hospital and that her PFTs are on the upswing.

It sounds like your CPT and postural drainage are working great! Maybe that just works better for her than the vest? Or maybe all the antibiotics have lowered the inflammation and junk is moving around because of that. Either way, you might some advice here or in person with a respiratory therapist about vesting strategies and combining it with the acapella. I was told to alternate them (10 min vest, 10 acapella breaths, cough, repeat the cycle) when I was in the hospital once.

I personally LOVE cpt more...and walking up hills. I don't know how long the plugs take to vacate to be honest. Do CPT everywhere, but know that the lower right lobe might be more vulnerable to replugging.

I hope the next bronch clears her out really well too and that the APBA is reduced or gone.
 
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