Changed Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 My 15yo DD has had a productive cough for 4-5 months. Her pediatrician has ruled out asthma, allergies, reflux, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Her labs are perfect and she's never had a fever or any other symptoms. So we were sent to a pulmonologist who ordered a CT of her sinuses and a bronchoscopy. Has anyone had experience with any of this. What are they looking for? Looking to rule out? And is there anything I need to plan for regarding the anesthesia. She's never had any other procedures. :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Dd had a bronchoscopy last summer. The anesthesia was sort of "awake but out if it" and she didn't remember the procedure. She just had to stay for a hour or so after the procedure to be monitored. She also had been dealing with chronic recurrent cough over a period of years. In our case, the pneumologists were looking for structural issues in her airway and they took some fluid samples during the procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Doctors want to see the structure of the lungs, look for a foreign object that may be evading other diagnostic tests, check for tumors, see how the lungs are working, look for lesions, check for airway obstructions or strictures, look for signs of infection (pus, fungus, parasites, etc.), check for fluid, mucous, polyps, you name it. In short, they want to find out why your dd is coughing. Is she having the flexible or rigid bronchoscopy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 My dd has one when she was four. They were looking for structural issues like the above poster mentioned. My dd has a small airway and a narrow, twisted bronchial tube on one side. She wasn't sore at all after and was able to leave within a few hours. If your dd has never had anesthesia before, I would just be prepared for it to possibly make her nauseous. That's usually our biggest issue here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Changed Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Thanks for the replies! I'm not sure about whether it's flexible or rigid. We're still waiting on the office to call and confirm the time and then they said they'd answer my questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 They may also do a lavage-washing out the lungs, sucking the liquid back out and looking at the cells under a microscope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 When I had my bronchoscopy, they did a lavage as well which caused me breathing difficulty. TBH, though, everything causes me breathing difficulty. They used conscious sedation which didn't even make me sick like a lot of meds do. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 My son has had a ton of them (including 3 in the last month -- he is currently hospitalized with some complex issues.) He is 2. They never cause any issues; it is very routine and not painful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I agree with being tired. I had one a year ago and mostly I just needed to sleep it off but they did say they had to give me extra sedation because it took longer then they expected. I don't remember any pain and they did 14 different biopsies on me plus the washing. Now they want to do another one. I have had a cough for almost 3 years with no diagnoses. I hope you will find some answers. Did she ever get tested for Whooping cough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Changed Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thank you all for sharing your experiences! Whooping cough? I don't think she's been tested. I'll check with her doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Just a suggestion...I don't know all her symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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