Thanks Stephen. Your explanation of a double boiler helped me a lot! The fact is we need to be able to boil this dang appliance without worrying about it. If we have to use something other than just a pot with water, I'm afraid it's becomes ridiculous and not nearly as useful. Bless AboveAll for her willingness to hold it in the pot for 5 minutes, but I find that a bit much! Steam disinfection may be the way to go, but I find it hard to understand why the instructions in Japan, Germany, and the UK indicate you can boil it if it's going to fall apart. So I guess we'll see. I believe that if you can get it in steam at 212 degrees for a certain amount of time that it will actually be sterilized, not just disinfected. But I don't know that there is a steam sterilizer out there that can do it - except for hospital grade equipment.
I do understand skepticism about the need to disinfect spacers, or "valved holding chambers" - after all we don't sterilize our spoons, cups and glasses, or our toothbrushes as you point out. And in fact they all go in the mouth. I will mention that I believe some of our members do in fact follow procedures to clean toothbrushes, by the way, including making sure they dry between uses as well as cleaning them in the dishwasher, etc. And that is probably more important to do when you're combating a newly acquired infection especially - I will tell you that recently my little guy had strep. The pediatric nurse emphasized the need to throw the toothbrush out and get a new one after he'd been on an antibiotic for 24 hours to avoid reinfection. It makes sense. As for sterilizing the toothbrush on a regular basis, no, I don't see the need anymore than sterilizing our spoons, cups, and glasses - although obviously we don't share them with others before they have been washed with soap and water, or run through the dishwasher. And frankly, I wouldn't let my little guy - or anyone else in the family - continuously use a cup or spoon day after day (the way we use our single spacers) without cleaning them thoroughly too. But I think of it this way (not saying I'm right here, just sayin . . . . ). A spacer or VHC is carrying meds - and anything else in it - to your lungs - not just your mouth or throat or digestive system. That's the purpose. The same as it is with a nebulizer - which we all pretty much acknowledge we need to disinfect and which the guidelines mandate. So my general rule is - if it's headed for your lungs, let's get is as clean as possible - disinfect. And the guidelines seem to require that too. Especially when we're dealing with an infection that we are trying to beat down and potentially eliminate. Each re-entry of the bacteria can't be helpful. I want everything as clean as I can get it each time I deliver to the lungs. I'm sure there are more thorough explanations for this, but that's my working theory! I'd love to hear others.
