Prima,

Hello! Have you discussed this with your healthcare provider, an Ear, nose and throat specialist? It sounds as if you may have a sinus infection, and be in need of antibiotics? 

Hi Prima.

With your bronchiectasis diagnosis, airway clearance will be key to help you avoid flare-ups. If you have a lot of mucus production associated with your sinuses, inevitably you are going to have drainage and that drainage can go down into your lungs. I recommend you using a neti pot to help clear sinuses. Are you seeing an ENT or allergist for management of your sinuses?

In addition, you may want to think about escalating your airway clearance routine to include a type of vest to when mucus production is higher. I'll let some others chime in with ideas as well.

If you use a neti pot, make sure you do not use tap water. Use either distilled water or water that has been boiled and then cooled. I am hoping Katie can chime in on what type of water she recommends as best.

For a vest system to be covered by most insurance plans, there usually needs to be documentation that you have tried other airway clearance methods for about six months first. If you do not already have a flutter device or an Aerobika, it may be helpful to start with one of those and work with your health care team to document how you do with them.

It is usually best to do airway clearance first thing in the morning. When we lie down and breathe more shallowly during sleep, parts of the lungs can temporarily collapse, a process called atelectasis. Because of this, and because bronchiectasis causes the airways to become widened and misshapen, it can be harder to move mucus out. Doing airway clearance in the morning can help you remove mucus more effectively, which may help you avoid future infections, shortness of breath, coughing, and the feeling of having a lot of mucus sitting in your chest.