Neb treatments

Mommafirst · Apr 20, 2008

We did just albuterol (inhaler not nebbed) until Alyssa was 2. At her second year appointment I asked about pulmozyme and they said they'd love to start her on it now. Usually they don't start until 4 or 5 in my clinic because there is limited research in the under 5 set, however my doctor believes there is great preventative benefit to pulmozyme and was enthusiastic when I brought it up. Possibly some people that don't come to these kinds of boards and learn about the benefits of preventative meds are resistent when doctors bring up a new recipe to add to the stew. Pulmozyme is a breeze as far as nebbed meds go, it only takes about 5-6 minutes and I've done a good deal of reading on it and I believe the benefits outweight any concerns. We've had no problems with it.

Mommafirst · Apr 20, 2008

We did just albuterol (inhaler not nebbed) until Alyssa was 2. At her second year appointment I asked about pulmozyme and they said they'd love to start her on it now. Usually they don't start until 4 or 5 in my clinic because there is limited research in the under 5 set, however my doctor believes there is great preventative benefit to pulmozyme and was enthusiastic when I brought it up. Possibly some people that don't come to these kinds of boards and learn about the benefits of preventative meds are resistent when doctors bring up a new recipe to add to the stew. Pulmozyme is a breeze as far as nebbed meds go, it only takes about 5-6 minutes and I've done a good deal of reading on it and I believe the benefits outweight any concerns. We've had no problems with it.

Mommafirst · Apr 20, 2008

We did just albuterol (inhaler not nebbed) until Alyssa was 2. At her second year appointment I asked about pulmozyme and they said they'd love to start her on it now. Usually they don't start until 4 or 5 in my clinic because there is limited research in the under 5 set, however my doctor believes there is great preventative benefit to pulmozyme and was enthusiastic when I brought it up. Possibly some people that don't come to these kinds of boards and learn about the benefits of preventative meds are resistent when doctors bring up a new recipe to add to the stew. Pulmozyme is a breeze as far as nebbed meds go, it only takes about 5-6 minutes and I've done a good deal of reading on it and I believe the benefits outweight any concerns. We've had no problems with it.

Mommafirst · Apr 20, 2008

We did just albuterol (inhaler not nebbed) until Alyssa was 2. At her second year appointment I asked about pulmozyme and they said they'd love to start her on it now. Usually they don't start until 4 or 5 in my clinic because there is limited research in the under 5 set, however my doctor believes there is great preventative benefit to pulmozyme and was enthusiastic when I brought it up. Possibly some people that don't come to these kinds of boards and learn about the benefits of preventative meds are resistent when doctors bring up a new recipe to add to the stew. Pulmozyme is a breeze as far as nebbed meds go, it only takes about 5-6 minutes and I've done a good deal of reading on it and I believe the benefits outweight any concerns. We've had no problems with it.

Mommafirst · Apr 20, 2008

We did just albuterol (inhaler not nebbed) until Alyssa was 2. At her second year appointment I asked about pulmozyme and they said they'd love to start her on it now. Usually they don't start until 4 or 5 in my clinic because there is limited research in the under 5 set, however my doctor believes there is great preventative benefit to pulmozyme and was enthusiastic when I brought it up. Possibly some people that don't come to these kinds of boards and learn about the benefits of preventative meds are resistent when doctors bring up a new recipe to add to the stew. Pulmozyme is a breeze as far as nebbed meds go, it only takes about 5-6 minutes and I've done a good deal of reading on it and I believe the benefits outweight any concerns. We've had no problems with it.

TonyaH · Apr 20, 2008

You will find a number of different meds on this board, and many of them depend on the patient, wether they have an asthma component to their CF, wether they culture anything that would respond to nebbed abx, etc. But the two main maintenance nebs are hypertonic saline and pulmozyme. (I do not include albuterol or xopenex just because I think it's pretty much across the board that all cf patients use a bronchodilator either nebbed or through a spacer every day.)

Hypertonic Saline is used to moisten the airways, making them "slippery". This allows whatever is in your lungs to travel easily through the airways to cough out.

Pulmozyme is a mucus thinner. It thins the mucus, making it easier to "dislodge" and slide out when you huff.

Different doctors do different things. When my son was five pulmozyme was just becoming a big thing at his clinic and that is when he was put on it. We have never seen a benefit to pulmozyme. But, he has been on it ever since.

He did not start hypertonic saline until we moved to NC 16 months ago and began seeing the team an UNC. We LOVE hypertonic saline. Andrew gets a ton of stuff out with hts.

I wish we could take him off of pulmozyme and just do the hts, as that is the only thing I really see helping him. However, every doctor we've spoken to agrees that pulmozyme is important for all cfers, so we continue. I am always very concerned about the long term affects of all of the medications Andrew is on every day and if we could cut out something that I don't really think is doing anything for him, I wish we could. But I guess they are the doctors for a reason!

TonyaH · Apr 20, 2008

You will find a number of different meds on this board, and many of them depend on the patient, wether they have an asthma component to their CF, wether they culture anything that would respond to nebbed abx, etc. But the two main maintenance nebs are hypertonic saline and pulmozyme. (I do not include albuterol or xopenex just because I think it's pretty much across the board that all cf patients use a bronchodilator either nebbed or through a spacer every day.)

Hypertonic Saline is used to moisten the airways, making them "slippery". This allows whatever is in your lungs to travel easily through the airways to cough out.

Pulmozyme is a mucus thinner. It thins the mucus, making it easier to "dislodge" and slide out when you huff.

Different doctors do different things. When my son was five pulmozyme was just becoming a big thing at his clinic and that is when he was put on it. We have never seen a benefit to pulmozyme. But, he has been on it ever since.

He did not start hypertonic saline until we moved to NC 16 months ago and began seeing the team an UNC. We LOVE hypertonic saline. Andrew gets a ton of stuff out with hts.

I wish we could take him off of pulmozyme and just do the hts, as that is the only thing I really see helping him. However, every doctor we've spoken to agrees that pulmozyme is important for all cfers, so we continue. I am always very concerned about the long term affects of all of the medications Andrew is on every day and if we could cut out something that I don't really think is doing anything for him, I wish we could. But I guess they are the doctors for a reason!

TonyaH · Apr 20, 2008

You will find a number of different meds on this board, and many of them depend on the patient, wether they have an asthma component to their CF, wether they culture anything that would respond to nebbed abx, etc. But the two main maintenance nebs are hypertonic saline and pulmozyme. (I do not include albuterol or xopenex just because I think it's pretty much across the board that all cf patients use a bronchodilator either nebbed or through a spacer every day.)

Hypertonic Saline is used to moisten the airways, making them "slippery". This allows whatever is in your lungs to travel easily through the airways to cough out.

Pulmozyme is a mucus thinner. It thins the mucus, making it easier to "dislodge" and slide out when you huff.

Different doctors do different things. When my son was five pulmozyme was just becoming a big thing at his clinic and that is when he was put on it. We have never seen a benefit to pulmozyme. But, he has been on it ever since.

He did not start hypertonic saline until we moved to NC 16 months ago and began seeing the team an UNC. We LOVE hypertonic saline. Andrew gets a ton of stuff out with hts.

I wish we could take him off of pulmozyme and just do the hts, as that is the only thing I really see helping him. However, every doctor we've spoken to agrees that pulmozyme is important for all cfers, so we continue. I am always very concerned about the long term affects of all of the medications Andrew is on every day and if we could cut out something that I don't really think is doing anything for him, I wish we could. But I guess they are the doctors for a reason!

TonyaH · Apr 20, 2008

You will find a number of different meds on this board, and many of them depend on the patient, wether they have an asthma component to their CF, wether they culture anything that would respond to nebbed abx, etc. But the two main maintenance nebs are hypertonic saline and pulmozyme. (I do not include albuterol or xopenex just because I think it's pretty much across the board that all cf patients use a bronchodilator either nebbed or through a spacer every day.)

Hypertonic Saline is used to moisten the airways, making them "slippery". This allows whatever is in your lungs to travel easily through the airways to cough out.

Pulmozyme is a mucus thinner. It thins the mucus, making it easier to "dislodge" and slide out when you huff.

Different doctors do different things. When my son was five pulmozyme was just becoming a big thing at his clinic and that is when he was put on it. We have never seen a benefit to pulmozyme. But, he has been on it ever since.

He did not start hypertonic saline until we moved to NC 16 months ago and began seeing the team an UNC. We LOVE hypertonic saline. Andrew gets a ton of stuff out with hts.

I wish we could take him off of pulmozyme and just do the hts, as that is the only thing I really see helping him. However, every doctor we've spoken to agrees that pulmozyme is important for all cfers, so we continue. I am always very concerned about the long term affects of all of the medications Andrew is on every day and if we could cut out something that I don't really think is doing anything for him, I wish we could. But I guess they are the doctors for a reason!

TonyaH · Apr 20, 2008

You will find a number of different meds on this board, and many of them depend on the patient, wether they have an asthma component to their CF, wether they culture anything that would respond to nebbed abx, etc. But the two main maintenance nebs are hypertonic saline and pulmozyme. (I do not include albuterol or xopenex just because I think it's pretty much across the board that all cf patients use a bronchodilator either nebbed or through a spacer every day.)
 
 Hypertonic Saline is used to moisten the airways, making them "slippery". This allows whatever is in your lungs to travel easily through the airways to cough out.
 
 Pulmozyme is a mucus thinner. It thins the mucus, making it easier to "dislodge" and slide out when you huff.
 
 Different doctors do different things. When my son was five pulmozyme was just becoming a big thing at his clinic and that is when he was put on it. We have never seen a benefit to pulmozyme. But, he has been on it ever since.
 
 He did not start hypertonic saline until we moved to NC 16 months ago and began seeing the team an UNC. We LOVE hypertonic saline. Andrew gets a ton of stuff out with hts.
 
 I wish we could take him off of pulmozyme and just do the hts, as that is the only thing I really see helping him. However, every doctor we've spoken to agrees that pulmozyme is important for all cfers, so we continue. I am always very concerned about the long term affects of all of the medications Andrew is on every day and if we could cut out something that I don't really think is doing anything for him, I wish we could. But I guess they are the doctors for a reason!

TestifyToLove · Apr 20, 2008

Micah is on Pulmynzme, TOBI and Advair. The Advair was in replacment for Albuetoral, Pulmicort and ... oh shoot its an asthma med thats contraindicated in CFers but I can't remember the name.

He cultured PA 3/06 according to what we were told, but his old clinic evidentally doesn't think he requires his old lab records after we moved him. That said, despite the TOBI regiment, he cultured PA in January at the tail-end of a TOBI month. Not sure if that means the TOBI isn't doing its job, or if that means fostermom wasn't doing her job by assuring the TOBI was being administered properly. And, considering she told me she did his breathing treatments (hand-held, not mask mind you) after he came home from school and midnight, I'm guessing you could kiss his midnight TOBI treatment good-bye.

TestifyToLove · Apr 20, 2008

Micah is on Pulmynzme, TOBI and Advair. The Advair was in replacment for Albuetoral, Pulmicort and ... oh shoot its an asthma med thats contraindicated in CFers but I can't remember the name.

He cultured PA 3/06 according to what we were told, but his old clinic evidentally doesn't think he requires his old lab records after we moved him. That said, despite the TOBI regiment, he cultured PA in January at the tail-end of a TOBI month. Not sure if that means the TOBI isn't doing its job, or if that means fostermom wasn't doing her job by assuring the TOBI was being administered properly. And, considering she told me she did his breathing treatments (hand-held, not mask mind you) after he came home from school and midnight, I'm guessing you could kiss his midnight TOBI treatment good-bye.

TestifyToLove · Apr 20, 2008

Micah is on Pulmynzme, TOBI and Advair. The Advair was in replacment for Albuetoral, Pulmicort and ... oh shoot its an asthma med thats contraindicated in CFers but I can't remember the name.

He cultured PA 3/06 according to what we were told, but his old clinic evidentally doesn't think he requires his old lab records after we moved him. That said, despite the TOBI regiment, he cultured PA in January at the tail-end of a TOBI month. Not sure if that means the TOBI isn't doing its job, or if that means fostermom wasn't doing her job by assuring the TOBI was being administered properly. And, considering she told me she did his breathing treatments (hand-held, not mask mind you) after he came home from school and midnight, I'm guessing you could kiss his midnight TOBI treatment good-bye.

TestifyToLove · Apr 20, 2008

Micah is on Pulmynzme, TOBI and Advair. The Advair was in replacment for Albuetoral, Pulmicort and ... oh shoot its an asthma med thats contraindicated in CFers but I can't remember the name.

He cultured PA 3/06 according to what we were told, but his old clinic evidentally doesn't think he requires his old lab records after we moved him. That said, despite the TOBI regiment, he cultured PA in January at the tail-end of a TOBI month. Not sure if that means the TOBI isn't doing its job, or if that means fostermom wasn't doing her job by assuring the TOBI was being administered properly. And, considering she told me she did his breathing treatments (hand-held, not mask mind you) after he came home from school and midnight, I'm guessing you could kiss his midnight TOBI treatment good-bye.

TestifyToLove · Apr 20, 2008

Micah is on Pulmynzme, TOBI and Advair. The Advair was in replacment for Albuetoral, Pulmicort and ... oh shoot its an asthma med thats contraindicated in CFers but I can't remember the name.
 
 He cultured PA 3/06 according to what we were told, but his old clinic evidentally doesn't think he requires his old lab records after we moved him. That said, despite the TOBI regiment, he cultured PA in January at the tail-end of a TOBI month. Not sure if that means the TOBI isn't doing its job, or if that means fostermom wasn't doing her job by assuring the TOBI was being administered properly. And, considering she told me she did his breathing treatments (hand-held, not mask mind you) after he came home from school and midnight, I'm guessing you could kiss his midnight TOBI treatment good-bye.

Ratatosk · Apr 20, 2008