unresolved bronchiectasis?

After many years of running low grade fevers and on and off antibiotics following an acute sinus infection 20 years ago, I finally found out I have a small area of bronchiectasis from CT scan.  I have had off and on flu-like symptoms with nasal congestion, aching muscles, and general malise for the last 10 years. I was nonfunctional much of the time and had decided I had chronic fatigue syndrome.  I stayed off antibiotics for a couple of years and had another acute sinus infection. While on an antibiotic I started coughing up small amounts of brown, rotten looking stuff just once or twice a day.  That was 3 years ago.  This continued for about a year.  I then started getting PSVT (atrial flutter) and had to have 2 ablations for that, then I started having skipped beats. I have had periods where it felt like every other beat was skipping for a period of up to 3 hours without stopping.  After staying off antibiotics again for almost a year, I have been back on them again for 3 weeks (8 days of tequin), I am now more functional than I have been in a while.  I have had very few of the skipped beats;  the problem is that  when I go off the  antibiotic, I get sick again.  I have felt for a long time all of my symptoms are related.  Now for the questions.
1.  Is it  possible I have had a low level infection all these years?
2. and if so, by just taking antibiotcs for short periods, could I have built up a resistance.
3. If both of the above are true, would long term treatment with antibiotics, possibly IV be reasonable?
4.  If # 4 is not feasable, what are my options?

[National Jewish]

It is definitely possible that you have had a low level infection all these years.  It is also possible that the germ causing the infection could become resistant by just taking antibiotics for short periods.  However, this should not keep you from taking short courses of antibiotics when necessary.  A culture and sensitivity test can be done on your sputum periodically, to see if the germ has become resistant to the antibiotic that is being used.  Long-term treatment with antibiotics is reasonable, but with IV antibiotics only if absolutely necessary.
Please check with your doctor about the following options:
1) Pulmonary hygiene is very important in preventing and controlling lung infections.  Many people find the routine use of a flutter device to be very helpful in clearing the mucus from their lungs.
2) Sinus infections commonly occur along with bronchiectasis.  Routine use of nasal washes, possibly followed by an inhaled nasal steroid, can be very helpful in decreasing the mucus in the nose and sinuses, thus lessening the sinus infections.
3) With bronchiectasis it is possible for the lungs to become infected with a non-infectious form of tuberculosis called nontuberculous mycobacteria.  It is possible for your sputum to be cultured for this using a different culture technique than is used for more common bacteria.
4) When bronchiectasis is located in just one small area of the lung, surgical removal may be an option.

[kathyw]

Thanks so much for your response.  I've been trying to figure this out for a long time.