Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

[BlueDevil]

I know this may be a dumb question, but...would a case of bronchitis mimic or aggravate some HCM symptoms? I've been fighting this for almost a month now. I can deal with the cough and such, but I get so fatigued from walking short distances whereas before I was walking them just fine. I'm currently on my second round of antibiotics. I am getting a little freaked over the difference in how I feel and worry it's the HCM getting worse. It just so happened that I had my quarterly follow-up with the cardiologist two weeks ago, and my echo showed no changes in my heart stuff; the EF was still in the 30-35% range, no clots, etc.

[mbcube]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Sorry this has gotten you down. My wife gets Bronchitis & it knocks her out for at least 2 months! I'd check with your HCM doctor to be sure - Couldn't hurt to call.

[Pam Alexson]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

I had this in January .. it took me 2 months.. a little more ,2 courses of steroid treatment, antibiotics x's 2 courses and nebulizer treatments via a machine up to 4 times per day. I thought I was going to die the doctor said I would not be well til spring.. it was not that long but long enough and I am still coughing from it.
It must be something like we had out here in the East. No one in my family got it like this.. I think the HCM complicated it and I did have runs of a-fib. Keep contact w/ your cardiologist I did through it and went to see him. The breathing treatment and banging on my back helped the most.
When no one was around I used a big chef spoon to clap my back.

[Cynaburst]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

I get bronchitis just about every time I get an upper respiratory infection. It always hangs around a long time and I often need mutilple rounds of antibiotics and steroid inhalers before it goes away. In fact, I keep an inhaler at my house now, and at the first sign of a cough, I start using it because the bronchitis once it settles in is so awful. I also have a terrible problem with wheezing, etc. when I get bronchits. I think that the HCM just compounds the problem and it all turns into one big mess.

[BlueDevil]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Sorry this has gotten you down. My wife gets Bronchitis & it knocks her out for at least 2 months! I'd check with your HCM doctor to be sure - Couldn't hurt to call.

Oh, I'm keeping in close touch with him, believe me. This hit me at the beginning of May, just before we took a train trip to Seattle. It went into full force while we were there. We were on foot and public transportation, and I had a really hard time keeping up with my partner. He's the one who usually has to slow ME down. My cardiologist didn't seem to be too concerned that how I was feeling was HCM-related, but it's hard not for me to worry about it.

I went to my PCP a few days after we got back and started zithromax. It seemed to work pretty well, but then I started to feel bad again. Now I'm on doxycycline and it's making me siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.

I never, ever want to go through this again...

[BlueDevil]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Keep contact w/ your cardiologist I did through it and went to see him.

The odd thing is I'm not having much of a cough. I'm definitely keeping in touch with him; he actually got a little miffed at me for "toughing it out." (I wasn't really; I was getting treatment, but I knew I'd be seeing him for my regular follow-up in just a few days.)

[BlueDevil]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

I think that the HCM just compounds the problem and it all turns into one big mess.

It seems my bout is really mild as far as bronchitis symptoms go. My cough at its worst -- and I've had worse -- went away after the first week. It's the fatigue and the shortness of breath that are the worst. I'm having trouble walking from my car to my desk at work, so much so that I think I'm going to work from home for the rest of the week. I haven't been able to go to my water exercise class at the Y either.

Here's hoping the doxycycline will knock it all out...

[LindaSo]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Doxycycline is a drug that has been around for a long time. Tastes fine but tends to mess up your gut. Be sure to stay out of direct sunlight, as you can get a very nasty sunburn in a short period of time and your skin tends to tingle when in the sun.

I agree with the others, ANY respiratory illness sends me to the MD immediately and I always end up with a long recovery, high dose steroids and neb treatments q 2 hrs.

[Reenie]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

I don't have HCM but have asthma. When I get bronchitis I get really down with it and I have no energy for 6 weeks or more. I'm sorry you've been sick and I hope you're feeling much better soon.

[BlueDevil]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Tastes fine but tends to mess up your gut. Be sure to stay out of direct sunlight, as you can get a very nasty sunburn in a short period of time and your skin tends to tingle when in the sun.

Oh gawd, does it ever mess it up! It makes me nauseous for a few hours afterward; I've mostly been eating bland foods and yogurt.

I did discover that ginger is of great help. I've heard about it being used for nausea in Eastern medicine. We happened to have some excellent quality crystallized ginger in the house, and I have to say, it really DOES help with nausea. I wouldn't have believed it until I tried it.

[LindaSo]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Peppermint candies also work. You can suck on them whenever you need to. And if you have that nasty taste in your mouth, it helps that too!

[Pam Alexson]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

yes Ginger has been in the news lately:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/...n5015209.shtml

[BlueDevil]

Re: Bronchitis and HCM symptoms

Very cool.

I got the idea from a friend of mine who uses it to combat nausea from his HIV medications. He said it works really well for him.