My coughing wakes me up at 7:40am this Saturday morning. I'm doing that cough, the one I hate the most, where it feels like I'm drowning and I can't make it stop. I feel like I'm going to throw up all this liquid, not even positive what it is. I cough a ton, open my mouth, put my finger on my tongue and look at it.... blood. And not just a fleck or too. But a lot. I look at my hand more closely and find a lot more blood. My heart starts racing. I get up to do albuterol (not sure what else to do to make this stop!) and get on RunSickboyRun because I remember him saying something about coughing up blood. Sure enough, his description of the amount of blood (tbsp to cups) and the coughing fits. I have been having bouts of hemoptysis for years and never knew it.
I've had two recent bouts, both pretty bad, really close together. I'm hoping that this is just a coincidence, or maybe related to the stomach bug I had, but nothing serious. I remember seeing, while I'm throwing up for several hours, a larger amount of blood in what I was bringing up than ever before. Sometimes when I would cough, I would see a fleck or two, not a big deal. These are not flecks. These spells will fill my mouth of blood. However, for some terrible reason, I can't do anything but swallow it. So I am swallowing a large amount of blood and then I feel terrible for a little while! But if I get it out, I will start throwing up too, and then get REALLY freaked out and still feel terrible. Ugh.
Unless this continues frequently, I'm not making a big deal about it. However, I am scared to use my Vest on days when these happen. Should I?
-Andrea
2 comments:
Don't use your Vest, get your Dr. to get you on a round of Vitamin K (there is a generic from the pharmacy), and PLEASE cover your mouth in a paper towel and spit it out. Swallowing blood is a bad idea.
I have had 3 bad fits of about 1/2 cup in my life, but most are 3-4 Kleenex after I lay down to go to sleep, so I get up, go to the office and spit for 2 minutes, rest for 10 minutes, and go to bed with no problems.
My signs are a gurgling sound when I lay down, which actually induces the coughing that brings it up.
I haven't had any since being 100% compliant and doing everything right. Maybe you need more Vitamin K, maybe you're too stressed with school (take Xanax), or maybe you have an infection. I also get them when I first really start to clear out gunk while on IVs. I had a blood goober after starting my IVs before surgery, but that little thing doesn't count because it wasn't a "bleeder."
I've had bleeding on and off for 30 years. Never swallow it. Try and measure it in a measuring cup if possible, though many times this is hard to do. Let your CF clinic know about it as soon as possible. I am no doctor but for any blood that isn't flecks or streaks, my clinic tells me to stop all airway clearance expect xopenex and symbicort until 24 hours after the bleeding has stopped. This allows the lung to heal. You should speak to your clinic/doctor about their procedures. Coughing up bright red blood requires special attention. Be careful. Many times it's a sign of an infection. I'd been luck the last couple of years and oral cipro cleared it up.
I hope you feel better.
UnknownCystic
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