Regular Checkup

[anonymous]

Hello all, I m living in lebanon, so docs here are quite inexperienced, my question is when you go to your doc can he determine if there is an infection or not by hearing your breath ( the checkup they do to regular people)i wonder if this is decisive in CF people. Once i went to an ex doc and he admitted me to hospital by just hearing my chest, now ive changed my doc and this one tells me that he doesn't need to hear my breath because it tells nothing and he can't differenciate between the sputum and the infection. Now, who's right i need your opinion from your experience.Rami 21 w/ CF

 

[Diane]

Hi Rami, When my doctor listens to my lungs with a stethoscope he can hear if i have more "crackles" and other breath sounds, like wheezing or rales, diminished breathing ,,,, things like that. They can all be signs of infection. If i complain of fevers ad just feeling crappy, he will listen to my lungs and he can usually tell if something is going on by what he hears. Now of coarse he cant tell what kind of infection is going on unless we do a sputum culture, but you can usually hear if something in there isnt right. ~ Diane

 

[anonymous]

Rami,Listening to my breath has always been wihtout point. I get bad lung infections lots but they can't hear anything in my lungs. No "crackles" or "wheezes" or anything. The only way they really know is by doing an X-ray, testing lung function and asking you how you are feeling. If you are feeling crappy then chances are you have a lung infection in you. The best way to know is by asking YOU, you know your body better than anyone.Love Julie19wcf, from Vancouver, BC, Canada<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

 

[anonymous]

Listening to your lungs is just an extra clue. It should always be done, but it doesn't tell the doc anything other than if air is moving around.