mastering pft's

3timesthefun

New member
I have a question. How long did it take for your kids to master pft's? And how do you know that they are actually doing them right. My kids have a lot of trouble in the box, but seem to do ok on the other parts. Although my daughters FEV1 was only 69%, and has been incredibly healthy. At what point do they except the number as a true number? It seems like they rely on these numbers a lot in treatment plans.
 

JazzysMom

New member
I have been doing them for 30 years & still dont have it mastered....LOL! A lot of variables cause the numbers to fluctuate besides infection. Input from the patient can be dicated by lack of energy, pain, tiredness, PMS (for where it applies) & of couse actual problems like infection etc. The numbers are a guide so that in addition to a change in cough, sputum & appetite (for the most part) is what dictates the care plan!
 

wanderlost

New member
I was told for years that my PFTs didn't really reflect my health status as they were always lower than what my life and health reflected. The doctors said I didn't "try" hard enough - mind you, being 13 and having someone scream "Blow blow blow" at you was a bit annoying....but now they have been more stable and about the same for a few years and seem more reflective of my healht, though still, if I have a fluctuation from one clinic visit to the next, they don't worry about it until the numbers stay low for the next time - or go lower. All sorts of things can affect PFTs.
 
L

littlemisssilly

Guest
Even though I obsess over any miniscule change in PFTs, my doctor
doesn't unless there's like a 10% difference (which there never is
thankfully). A good part of PFTs comes down to technique, whether
you're tired, whether you've had a good cough before hand and so
on. In fact, my PFTs differ depending on what part of the day it
is, I never have my appointments in the morning, I am not a morning
person, I cough all morning, feel tired and have these little
bronchospasms, all which affect my PFTs, so I make sure my
appointments are in the afternoon because that's when I feel
better. <br>
<br>
Also, like the other posts said, it's not the sole predictor of how
one's health is. There have been many times where I have been quite
sick and PFTs still look good on paper. There are many others on
this site that have lower PFTs to me and run, work full time etc so
it's only one piece of the puzzle.  
 
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