Hello, I am a 24 year old woman with CF and I have a therapy vest. I have to admit that I hate doing the thing, and I don't think it helps me. I have recently switched doctors, and my new doctor has told me that if I don't think the vest is helping me to not waste my time doing it. I was just curious to see if anyone else out there has a vest and if they do or do not do it...and if they see any benefits from it. Any advice I could get is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Jennifer
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Therapy Vest
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
Oh yeah... Because I started doing it and began to rely on it, (despite the fact that when it was introduced to me, it was completely unnecessary) it has become a drug that I cannot live without. My lungs no longer clear themselves, the vest does.If you can avoid doing it, do so at all costs! It will save your life.Sean
Sean I am sorry to say, but you aren't very educated about the vest.They have found that the vest is 3 times as productive in moving secretions in the lungs compared to normal chest PT. I use the vest and it seems to work fine for me, but my doc and I agree that exercise such as running or swimming is the best PT. In the morning when I don't exercise I use the vest and in the evening I exercise instead of doing the vest. Keep up the vest for a couple of months and when you go to the doc see if your numbers are any higher, lower, or consistant. If your numbers drop then you may want to try a new chest pt. Good luck!
Jenifer,Have you tried the flutter or acapella? Some people prefer these methods to the vest. It's too bad that things haven't worked out to Seans liking with it. Follow what your new docs say if you trust them- if not keep doing it and find another doc. Has this new one told you what PT you should be doing? Good luckAndrea
Hi, I have to admit that i myself didnt notice much benefit from using the vest either. I have a percussor that i use and i find that is more effective. Only problem with it is....... they dont seem to be making them anymore<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">...... anyway, i wanted to ask sean how old he is ,i dont have anything mean to say to him, because i understand where he is coming from. Cf is a frightening disease, and i have been to the point where it was hard to breathe. It is scary as can be. I am just curious as to how old sean is....
I know some people who don't like the vest either. I personally like it, but I can't do the vest alone. When I finish the vest I then do my Flutter (which I love!!) I have trouble doing the huff cough after vest and thats why I do flutter. If you choose not to do the vest make sure you do some kind of treatment such as flutter, acapella, precussion, whatever as long as you clear your lungs. The most important thing is to clear the mucous out of your lungs and youjr job as a patient is to do whatever works best.
I agree with the anonymous above me. I've tried many different methods, and some work, some don't. What about an IPV? I really don't like it, but I've heard that they work well for people who don't like the Vest. The important thing is finding an effective airway clearance technique that works for you. I've had good results with the vest, but you might want to try a flutter, acappella, or the IPV. Good luck finding one for you!
Actually, I forgot to log in so my name's not on the one under me. I also had a thought...the Vest works well for me, not only with airway clearance, but with lifestyle too. I'm a college student, so I can easily do it to myself. It isn't the most portable thing, so I use an acappella to travel. So that might be something to consider also, but it's not as important as what benefits you most.