Sputum sample--discounting for saliva??
Steven Litvintchouk
subjects]
My pulmonologist asked me to deliver a sputum sample into a container,
to be cultured for micro-organisms. This I just did.
But I'm concerned because along with the discolored sputum, I was unable
to avoid spitting some saliva into the jar too. Now I know that my
saliva is full of bacteria (my dentist told me I have tooth decay right
now).
Can the lab distinguish between the "bad" bacteria I might have in my
airways versus the "normal" bugs I might have had in my mouth? Or have
I screwed up the sputum sample by mixing saliva with it?
I'm concerned because I really want to see, once and for all, what's
causing my sputum to be so yellow-green every day.
--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email: sdli...@earthlink.net
Steve Harris
Steven Litvintchouk wrote in message <3C507E40...@earthlink.net>...
>[*** GROSS ALERT *** Stop reading if you are repelled by gross
>subjects]
Thanks for that; it was considerate.
>My pulmonologist asked me to deliver a sputum sample into a container,
>to be cultured for micro-organisms. This I just did.
>
>But I'm concerned because along with the discolored sputum, I was unable
>to avoid spitting some saliva into the jar too. Now I know that my
>saliva is full of bacteria (my dentist told me I have tooth decay right
>now).
>
>Can the lab distinguish between the "bad" bacteria I might have in my
>airways versus the "normal" bugs I might have had in my mouth? Or have
>I screwed up the sputum sample by mixing saliva with it?
No, it happens all the time. They can tell they have sputum and not *just*
spit by looking for airway cells. Spit's not a problem-- the problem is when
you get ONLY spit.
If you have chronic discolored sputum it's usually not worth culturing,
especially if you've had it a long time. The bugs keep changing. Ask your
pulmonologist what he/she's looking for.
And if you have tooth decay and chronic bronchitis and you smoke, you know
the problem.
SBH
>
>I'm concerned because I really want to see, once and for all, what's
>causing my sputum to be so yellow-green every day.
>
>
>--
>Steven D. Litvintchouk
>Email: sdli...@earthlink.net
--
I welcome email from any being clever enough to fix my address. It's open
book. A prize to the first spambot that passes my Turing test.
Steven Litvintchouk
>
> . . . .
Thanx for your reply, Steve Harris, I appreciate the info.
> If you have chronic discolored sputum it's usually not worth culturing,
> especially if you've had it a long time. The bugs keep changing. Ask your
> pulmonologist what he/she's looking for.
See below.
> And if you have tooth decay and chronic bronchitis and you smoke, you know
> the problem.
I have no idea what you mean by this.
I never smoked in my entire life.
And right now I'm trying to find out why my bronchitis has gotten so
much worse since that nasty sinus infection I had back in October. I
still think I've got some low-level lingering infection somewhere, even
though my doctor swears I don't have a sinus infection anymore.
Steve Harris
>I never smoked in my entire life.
>
>And right now I'm trying to find out why my bronchitis has gotten so
>much worse since that nasty sinus infection I had back in October. I
>still think I've got some low-level lingering infection somewhere, even
>though my doctor swears I don't have a sinus infection anymore.
Could be. IMHO, it's a lot easier to find a probable sinus infection (all
you need is an X-ray showing a sinus full of fluid) than it is to rule one
out. It's certainly possible to have continuing sinusitis even though you
don't have any full sinuses on X-ray, so I don't see how your doc can be
certain you don't have one. Sensitive tests don't exist, unless you're going
to have a surgical procedure to INTO a sinus. Infected sinuses can drain
into the throat and be a continuing source of bronchitis. It's particularly
suspicious in cases like yours, where you don't smoke and I gather than the
bronchitis is relatively new, and you've been cleared with an X-ray, right?
Let's face it, if your symptoms continue you're going to have to try a long
empiric course of antibiotics no matter what the cultures show. I suppose
the only thing a nice positive culture might save you from is having to be
on an expensive sinus-antibiotic (read, one that kills H.flu well), when you
might get away with 4-8 weeks of something cheaper for Strep. But if the
cheap stuff doesn't work you'll have to try something more expensive
empirically anyway! So you might as well just get started. The cheapo
routine would be some kind of erythromycin and perhaps also pen VK for those
uncultured sinus anaerobes. The expensive routines are Augmentin, Ceftin,
Suprax, Zithromax. The very drugs that kill parents paying for ear
infections in kids. ENT docs are still fond of long courses of Augmentin,
and sometimes nothing else will do.
SBH
Steven Litvintchouk
Steve Harris wrote:
>
> Steven Litvintchouk wrote in message <3C50E2FB...@earthlink.net>...
> . . . .
> It's certainly possible to have continuing sinusitis even though you
> don't have any full sinuses on X-ray, so I don't see how your doc can be
> certain you don't have one. Sensitive tests don't exist, unless you're going
> to have a surgical procedure to INTO a sinus. Infected sinuses can drain
> into the throat and be a continuing source of bronchitis. It's particularly
> suspicious in cases like yours, where you don't smoke and I gather than the
> bronchitis is relatively new, and you've been cleared with an X-ray, right?
I never had these chronic asthmatic bronchitis symptoms in my entire
life, until I got the "sinus infection from hell" in October 1993.
It never quite cleared, despite numerous rounds of antibiotics and other
meds. Eventually I had surgery in 1997. It helped but didn't
completely eliminate my bronchitis symptoms. So after 8 years of
suffering with this, my patience is exhausted (in fact it was exhausted
in 1998).
> Let's face it, if your symptoms continue you're going to have to try a long
> empiric course of antibiotics no matter what the cultures show. I suppose
> the only thing a nice positive culture might save you from is having to be
> on an expensive sinus-antibiotic (read, one that kills H.flu well), when you
> might get away with 4-8 weeks of something cheaper for Strep. But if the
> cheap stuff doesn't work you'll have to try something more expensive
> empirically anyway! So you might as well just get started.
My current ENT refuses to prescribe antibiotics for me anymore--he
claims I'm cured. He also doesn't believe in the recent Mayo Clinic
studies, which seem to show that fungal infections can cause far more
cases of chronic sinusitis than was formerly believed. Nor has he ever
tried me on an antibiotic capable of dealing with *anaerobic* bugs, such
as Flagyl.
Guess I should start looking for another doctor.
> ENT docs are still fond of long courses of Augmentin,
> and sometimes nothing else will do.
I'm allergic to penicillin, so I can't take Augmentin (it contains
amoxicillin).
Tim Hunter
going basis.....
Tim
"Steven Litvintchouk" <sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3C5229BF...@earthlink.net...