Vest

[littletally]

I love the vest! When I feel good I can get by using the flutter but the vest makes me feel so much clearer. It's like it gets all of your lungs not just bits and pieces. Sucks to travel with so short stays I take the flutter but I would still recommend the vest to anyone!

Nikki
26/f/cf

 

[EnergyGal]

I used the vest when I had a cold after my first transplant. It worked great. Some people who get transplanted think they will never need their vest but when you get a chest cold it can really help you heal faster from the cold.

I have a few techniques that I do while also huffing out as Christian described. I do crunches and side bends and shoulder raises while doing my vest treatment. I believe it has helped me post transplant second time around.

My first exercise is I place my hands on the top of the vest where the first set of locks that close your vest. I just simply rest my hands on the puffed out portion and press down while I exhale. It acts as a crunch and if you want to add more resistance to your chest muscles hold in your stomach and lean forward. to me it is like having a balace ball surround your body. Then I lean from side to side and raise my arms up and out to the side. I feel this really helps to develop back, chest and stomach muscles while you are doing the vest therapy. While I do these exercise I intermittenly close my legs tightly where your thighs touch and press them together firmly and this helps to increase the intensity of your stomach muscles working. This helps in my opnion to create better and deeper breathing.

To me it is like doing isometrics and of course working out your whole body does not compare but it really helps with the breathing exercises and improves your posture.
just my contribution

edited to add:
I also do isometrics to my chest mucles and try to move them

 

[EnergyGal]

For coughing, I use the device called Forarms and it helps to increase the effectiveness of the cough

ok I just used the vest and tried something new. I have the vest on and place my hands around as if I was hugging myself. I hold this position while taking a deep breath and then when I exhale I squeese hard while holding myself around. I coughed up a big plug and boy I felt better.

 

[Scarlett81]

ooooh cool Risa, I'm gonna try that tomorrow morning! Thanks.

 

[EnergyGal]

I am glad that you liked the idea. I have been bringing up some stuff and I am so glad that I can get it out but it is definitely work for me. I actually experiment to find different ways to cough with the vest. Tonight I found it is helpful to hold the top of the jacket down like holding onto suspenders but you hold onto where the velcro closes and then do a crunch cough. Works great and also holding your arms up in the air and try coughing.....
Then if you can reach (without the vest on) to your upper back and press against yourself that will help you cough (I have long arms lol)

If I find other ways I let you know but for now I am sure you can experiment and let me know what works for you. I wish they would make longer hoses for the vest so you can walk around. I cannot stand how the pop out all the time.

 

[Grendel]

I am OK with the Vest under certain situations. It is not a cure-all. But I detest that the hospitals are pushing inpatient use of them. Are the Pulmonary Therapists so lazy and physically incapable of using the G-3 Percussor or hand percussion?

They keep crying "carpal tunnel syndrome " but in my 25 years of being hospitalized hundreds of times, not one therapist complained before. I know hand percussion is physically tough to do well, but carpal tunnel is BS. They just want to put you on the Vest and go treat some one else to increase their billing and revenue stream. Bastards!

 

[jfarel]

I think they should definitely give you the option of manual
physio. But for some the vest works better. I would prefer the
manual as well.<br>
<br>
John