Airway clearance

[sue35]

Hi all-
I have been doing the acapella for about a year now. Before that I was on the flutter and I am soon getting a trial vest. I have never, even when I did chest PT, coughed up anything. My question is, does it still work even if you don't cough anything up?

I am sick right now and desperate for the suffocating feeling to go away. I want to cough stuff up but nothing is working. What does the therapy do if it doesn't get stuff up?

Thanks!

 

[sue35]

Hi all-
I have been doing the acapella for about a year now. Before that I was on the flutter and I am soon getting a trial vest. I have never, even when I did chest PT, coughed up anything. My question is, does it still work even if you don't cough anything up?

I am sick right now and desperate for the suffocating feeling to go away. I want to cough stuff up but nothing is working. What does the therapy do if it doesn't get stuff up?

Thanks!

 

[sue35]

Hi all-
I have been doing the acapella for about a year now. Before that I was on the flutter and I am soon getting a trial vest. I have never, even when I did chest PT, coughed up anything. My question is, does it still work even if you don't cough anything up?

I am sick right now and desperate for the suffocating feeling to go away. I want to cough stuff up but nothing is working. What does the therapy do if it doesn't get stuff up?

Thanks!

 

[Scarlett81]

Therapy should be getting stuff up-it is possible that you aren't doing your therapy correctly b/c you haven't been taught the most affective techniques. This is more common than many people realize. I was never taught the correct way to do the vest until 2 years ago when I switched to a new cf clinic. In 2 years my pfts went from fev1 averaging 55-60% to 75-80%. Thats a huge difference.
Granted, some people jsut can't get stuff up. But I think there are more cases of people that just don't know what to do b/c no one ever sat down and really showed them.
My clinic taught me which frequencies to do the vest on, how long to do them, and to do 5 spits with each frequency and to use various breathing techniques to get the spit out, so that by the end of each therapy I get out about 1/4 C of mucus. It doesn't just come, and it doesn't get up easy. I never ever was productive with therapy my whole life. I really have to work to get it out-hack and hack. I feel like I had a long workout after each therapy, but my therapist at the hosp says that a cfer should feel that way after each therapy and if they don't they probably didn't work hard enough.
What fun for all of us!!!
Wish you well and feel better!

 

[Scarlett81]

Therapy should be getting stuff up-it is possible that you aren't doing your therapy correctly b/c you haven't been taught the most affective techniques. This is more common than many people realize. I was never taught the correct way to do the vest until 2 years ago when I switched to a new cf clinic. In 2 years my pfts went from fev1 averaging 55-60% to 75-80%. Thats a huge difference.
Granted, some people jsut can't get stuff up. But I think there are more cases of people that just don't know what to do b/c no one ever sat down and really showed them.
My clinic taught me which frequencies to do the vest on, how long to do them, and to do 5 spits with each frequency and to use various breathing techniques to get the spit out, so that by the end of each therapy I get out about 1/4 C of mucus. It doesn't just come, and it doesn't get up easy. I never ever was productive with therapy my whole life. I really have to work to get it out-hack and hack. I feel like I had a long workout after each therapy, but my therapist at the hosp says that a cfer should feel that way after each therapy and if they don't they probably didn't work hard enough.
What fun for all of us!!!
Wish you well and feel better!

 

[Scarlett81]

Therapy should be getting stuff up-it is possible that you aren't doing your therapy correctly b/c you haven't been taught the most affective techniques. This is more common than many people realize. I was never taught the correct way to do the vest until 2 years ago when I switched to a new cf clinic. In 2 years my pfts went from fev1 averaging 55-60% to 75-80%. Thats a huge difference.
Granted, some people jsut can't get stuff up. But I think there are more cases of people that just don't know what to do b/c no one ever sat down and really showed them.
My clinic taught me which frequencies to do the vest on, how long to do them, and to do 5 spits with each frequency and to use various breathing techniques to get the spit out, so that by the end of each therapy I get out about 1/4 C of mucus. It doesn't just come, and it doesn't get up easy. I never ever was productive with therapy my whole life. I really have to work to get it out-hack and hack. I feel like I had a long workout after each therapy, but my therapist at the hosp says that a cfer should feel that way after each therapy and if they don't they probably didn't work hard enough.
What fun for all of us!!!
Wish you well and feel better!

 

[getahobby]

It is important to do airway clearance even if you don't bring up anything. Airway clearance can stop the infection and dead cells from attaching to the lung lining even if it doesn't cause you to cough anything up.

 

[getahobby]

It is important to do airway clearance even if you don't bring up anything. Airway clearance can stop the infection and dead cells from attaching to the lung lining even if it doesn't cause you to cough anything up.

 

[getahobby]

It is important to do airway clearance even if you don't bring up anything. Airway clearance can stop the infection and dead cells from attaching to the lung lining even if it doesn't cause you to cough anything up.

 

[Shoshanna]

Even if you don't cough anything up the therapy is VERY worthwhile. It'll move stuff around and you might cough up mucus later like in the shower or while walking up stairs. Chest PT has literally prolonged my life and I would be a lost cause without it.
In times when I feel like I'm suffocating I'll do the following:
1. take a hot shower and breathe deeply--close all doors tightly to keep the steam in. Practice breathing techniques and they'll make you cough
2. Prop up on pillows, like for chest PT, and angle yourself for about 15 to drain--best case scenerio is to have someone clap on your chest, but if not possible, just drain.
3. Exercise. Even if you don't have any equipment, do jumping jacks or jump up and down on your bed (it's kinda fun) while listening to music...anything to move and jiggle things.

If worse comes to worse, call a neighbor, family member or friend and ask them to come over and pound on your back. this is no time to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. You do what you have to do to breathe. I know that feeling of suffocation and there is nothing worse.
Hope this helps.

 

[Shoshanna]

Even if you don't cough anything up the therapy is VERY worthwhile. It'll move stuff around and you might cough up mucus later like in the shower or while walking up stairs. Chest PT has literally prolonged my life and I would be a lost cause without it.
In times when I feel like I'm suffocating I'll do the following:
1. take a hot shower and breathe deeply--close all doors tightly to keep the steam in. Practice breathing techniques and they'll make you cough
2. Prop up on pillows, like for chest PT, and angle yourself for about 15 to drain--best case scenerio is to have someone clap on your chest, but if not possible, just drain.
3. Exercise. Even if you don't have any equipment, do jumping jacks or jump up and down on your bed (it's kinda fun) while listening to music...anything to move and jiggle things.

If worse comes to worse, call a neighbor, family member or friend and ask them to come over and pound on your back. this is no time to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. You do what you have to do to breathe. I know that feeling of suffocation and there is nothing worse.
Hope this helps.

 

[Shoshanna]

Even if you don't cough anything up the therapy is VERY worthwhile. It'll move stuff around and you might cough up mucus later like in the shower or while walking up stairs. Chest PT has literally prolonged my life and I would be a lost cause without it.
In times when I feel like I'm suffocating I'll do the following:
1. take a hot shower and breathe deeply--close all doors tightly to keep the steam in. Practice breathing techniques and they'll make you cough
2. Prop up on pillows, like for chest PT, and angle yourself for about 15 to drain--best case scenerio is to have someone clap on your chest, but if not possible, just drain.
3. Exercise. Even if you don't have any equipment, do jumping jacks or jump up and down on your bed (it's kinda fun) while listening to music...anything to move and jiggle things.

If worse comes to worse, call a neighbor, family member or friend and ask them to come over and pound on your back. this is no time to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable. You do what you have to do to breathe. I know that feeling of suffocation and there is nothing worse.
Hope this helps.

 

[AnD]

When I'm sick and congested, I do my flutter in the shower after taking a long hot shower, and it really makes a difference! (Make sure you clean the flutter right, often and well if you do that, though). The vest doesn't really make me cough- I have to do that myself (or did, before the hypertonic saline <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> ), but I can certainly tell the difference if I <i>don't</i> do it.

 

[AnD]

When I'm sick and congested, I do my flutter in the shower after taking a long hot shower, and it really makes a difference! (Make sure you clean the flutter right, often and well if you do that, though). The vest doesn't really make me cough- I have to do that myself (or did, before the hypertonic saline <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> ), but I can certainly tell the difference if I <i>don't</i> do it.

 

[AnD]

When I'm sick and congested, I do my flutter in the shower after taking a long hot shower, and it really makes a difference! (Make sure you clean the flutter right, often and well if you do that, though). The vest doesn't really make me cough- I have to do that myself (or did, before the hypertonic saline <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> ), but I can certainly tell the difference if I <i>don't</i> do it.

 

[Emily65Roses]

I don't always cough a whole lot during therapy... but if I skip a night, I can tell the next day. So it works enough for me to keep doing it. Hah!

 

[Emily65Roses]

I don't always cough a whole lot during therapy... but if I skip a night, I can tell the next day. So it works enough for me to keep doing it. Hah!

 

[Emily65Roses]

I don't always cough a whole lot during therapy... but if I skip a night, I can tell the next day. So it works enough for me to keep doing it. Hah!

 

[JazzysMom]

If I am sick then I cough stuff up instantly. Otherwise it usually moves its way up later on. Christian and I go to the same clinic and they are great about making sure you breath when having an unproductive cough or huffing or even drinking water. All these secrets during CPT is what gets us the most for our efforts.

 

[JazzysMom]

If I am sick then I cough stuff up instantly. Otherwise it usually moves its way up later on. Christian and I go to the same clinic and they are great about making sure you breath when having an unproductive cough or huffing or even drinking water. All these secrets during CPT is what gets us the most for our efforts.