Does water really help loosen mucous? Other ways to get rid of it?

[Enzo2311]

So I never drink water, well, rarely. I hate water, I hate the taste of it. I do drink a lot of liquids in general like Hawaiin Punch or milk, but rarely do I drink just water. If I were to drink, like, 2 bottles of water a day would I notice a difference in being able to get the mucous out (I probably drink a bottle of water a week)? Also, they say if you go in the shower and breathe the water vapour it helps loosen up the mucous, so can I just put some water in my nebuliser and breathe that?

Aside from treatments and pulmozyme how can I really clear my lungs out good? I haven't been doing the actual Vest treatment, only pulmozyme, so I kinda feel like there's a lot of mucous stuck, so what can I do extra to make sure I get this stuff out of me really good? What if I increase my pulmozyme to 2 vials a day (prescription says 1) will that make a noticeable difference?

Growing up, I've always thought that coughing was good, but so many people say "Oh I'm worried about you coughing, you shouldn't be coughing this much" (actually, I don't cough too often, I do have a few cough attacks once in a while and they freak out about it which annoys me lol), so is coughing good or not?

Lastly, whenever I watch videos of CFers doing treatments, they always show them having a cup around to cough their phlegm up, but I've never had that before while doing a treatment. Like, I never really have the urge to cough anything up. Like when you do your treatments, does it cause you to cough up a lot of phlegm? Why don't I ever cough up phlegm when I do my treatments? I've always had good lung percentage tests (although there was a time I didn't go to the CF dr for like 4 years and my percentage dropped from 105% to 92%, but then I got it back up to 104% and then up to 112%)

 

[welshwitch]

Are you on a running routine? Going for an hour long run is the best treatment that I do. Keeps me clear for at least the next entire day, increases my lung capacity, and I feel great.

The reason running is so great for CF is twofold: it makes us sweat, which gets our endocrine system going and the juices flowing. Second it is like a "vest treatment on steroids" because you are obviously shaking and putting your body through a lot of exertion.

If you are able to commit to a running regimen, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

 

[Nugget1]

Yes water will do a good job at thinning the mucus. My daughter is only 6 and does her nebulizer and vest treatments at a bare minimum of twice a day. The respiratory therapist has taught her to do a huff cough during her treatments, but unless she has a cold or some other respiratory issue, she produces very little mucus. As much as it may annoy those around you, coughing helps your body rid itself if the phlegm, they really just need to get over it. I'm sure that my daughter would prefer not to have CF, but this is the hand she was dealt. Non-CF, non-coughing people need to be a bit more considerate and lighten up! I have heard that running is also an excellent means of moving phlegm, I don't really foresee my daughter doing that, but she might surprise me!

 

[Enzo2311]

Are you on a running routine? Going for an hour long run is the best treatment that I do. Keeps me clear for at least the next entire day, increases my lung capacity, and I feel great.

The reason running is so great for CF is twofold: it makes us sweat, which gets our endocrine system going and the juices flowing. Second it is like a "vest treatment on steroids" because you are obviously shaking and putting your body through a lot of exertion.

If you are able to commit to a running regimen, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Yes water will do a good job at thinning the mucus. My daughter is only 6 and does her nebulizer and vest treatments at a bare minimum of twice a day. The respiratory therapist has taught her to do a huff cough during her treatments, but unless she has a cold or some other respiratory issue, she produces very little mucus. As much as it may annoy those around you, coughing helps your body rid itself if the phlegm, they really just need to get over it. I'm sure that my daughter would prefer not to have CF, but this is the hand she was dealt. Non-CF, non-coughing people need to be a bit more considerate and lighten up! I have heard that running is also an excellent means of moving phlegm, I don't really foresee my daughter doing that, but she might surprise me!

i hate running with the passion of my soul. It also kinda hurts to run.


so coughing is good correct? The more violent and frequent my coughing is the better? Like my grandma will say "Oh my this isn't good you're coughing so much! Are you ok!?" And it gets annoying cause even if I cough a little bit shell say that.