If you do the vest twice a day @ 3 cycles (one per frequency), then followed by the highest frequency for huffing/clearance...That is atleast 5 mins per setting, with 30 secs to a 1 min per highest cycle huff. So let's say for the vest alone (sans aresols) you got (of course everyone does it different, but everyone I have talked to does 3 frequencies for 5-10 mins followed by a high cycle huff...So these #'s are the lowest possible, so more than likely people do more)= 16:30 mins.
16:30 * 2 = 33 mins just for vest for the day (twice a day).
Typical meds via nebulizers are: Albuterol, pulmo, a long term antibiotic (coli, tobi, etc), and hypertonic saline. I know my coli and hyper are 5mls, which takes a while to neb. Pulmo is 2.5 mls, and I think albuterol and tobi are 2.5 or 3mls. So if we even did our nebs extremely fast back to back (which we don't), our smaller dose nebs are atleast 20 mins each. Our larger dose nebs can easily be 30+ mins each.
I know the few times when I JUST did my nebs and not my vest, with quick turn around (no clearance) it took me a little over 1 hour and 30 mins. With my vest included WHILE I do my nebs, with clearance, it takes me slightly over 2 hours for a full treatment (let's say 2:30 hours to be more accurate) and that's if I don't zone out on the pc/tv during.
So I personally (which is considered standard by my doc, and he's a leading CF doc) do 5 hours per day JUST on my nebs/vest.
Of course these numbers can't be fully applied to everyone, but if you look at what is standard care, with just the nebs alone (not everyone has the vest), it would seem those people who do 1 hour per day, or 2 hours per day care wise have got to be lacking in their care. This isn't a judgment, it's just number crunching. Even if you only do albuterol and a huffing device, it would probably be over 1 hour per day care wise. So I have no idea how people are compliant care wise with that amount of time devoted to care.