<b>What the lowest your pft's have been?</b>
41%
<b>How high did you get it back up to?</b>
48%
<b>How did you do it?</b>
With being consistent doing my vest treatments and adding 7%HS to my regime. I believe HS has been a huge benefit to me with helping to clear out my lung. I am not much of a mucus producer unless I am sick and doing the HS combined with the vest helps me to bring up stuff I otherwise would not be able to.
<b>How long did or has it stayed up?</b>
It took 14 months. It has been at 48% for the last 6 months. I hope it even goes higher especially now since I am using the eflow and have begun Tobramycin one month on, one month off. This is a new neb for me.
As far as hemoptysis...I understand your fear. I lost a lung to chronic severe hemoptysis, 1/2 when I was 19 and the rest of my left lung at 40. Since the removal of the rest of my left lung I have had several very minor bleeds...2 tsps or less several times a year in the last 4 years. The first time I took HS (March of 2006) is was 3% and I coughed up foamy blood after half my treatment. I was scared and stopped but the next day I began again because I had heard so many good things about HS. I did fine and moved up to 7% one month later.
Sometimes during the first 6 months of using HS I would get a little streaking but it never turned into an active bleed. The last active bleed I had was last September...2 teaspoons after finishing lunch out with friends. I felt fine but started an oral antibiotic at my doctor's request.
I never really understood what FEV meant or questioned my doctor about trying different meds. My lung function declined ever so slowly from 48% down to 41% over a 6 1/2 year period since my last surgery. It was when I became proactive because of the knowledge that I learned on this forum that I was able to bring my FEV 1 back up to 48%. I am very thankful to have cysticfibrosis.com at my fingertips. It provides a place where we can share and learn from each other.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
<b>Present meds and treatments:</b>
albuteral (twice a day)
Pulmozyme (once a day)
7% HS (twice a day)
Tobramycin (twice a day every other month)
Advair 100/50 (twice a day)
Respirtech vest 30 minutes twice a day
treadmill 35 minutes every other day
Good luck to you with preparing your body for pregnancy. BTW I had my three children after I had 1/2 of a lung removed. I did have a major bleed with my first pregnancy at 6 weeks. What a scare that was! But nothing after that or during the other two pregnancies.
Living in the present moment is what keeps me from worrying about tomorrow and I have a very strong faith life which keeps me centered. I hope you find what works for you.
I can see how much you want to be a mom and that you are trying to do all you can by gathering information. That's a great first step. I wish you well. Please keep up udated with how things are going.
41%
<b>How high did you get it back up to?</b>
48%
<b>How did you do it?</b>
With being consistent doing my vest treatments and adding 7%HS to my regime. I believe HS has been a huge benefit to me with helping to clear out my lung. I am not much of a mucus producer unless I am sick and doing the HS combined with the vest helps me to bring up stuff I otherwise would not be able to.
<b>How long did or has it stayed up?</b>
It took 14 months. It has been at 48% for the last 6 months. I hope it even goes higher especially now since I am using the eflow and have begun Tobramycin one month on, one month off. This is a new neb for me.
As far as hemoptysis...I understand your fear. I lost a lung to chronic severe hemoptysis, 1/2 when I was 19 and the rest of my left lung at 40. Since the removal of the rest of my left lung I have had several very minor bleeds...2 tsps or less several times a year in the last 4 years. The first time I took HS (March of 2006) is was 3% and I coughed up foamy blood after half my treatment. I was scared and stopped but the next day I began again because I had heard so many good things about HS. I did fine and moved up to 7% one month later.
Sometimes during the first 6 months of using HS I would get a little streaking but it never turned into an active bleed. The last active bleed I had was last September...2 teaspoons after finishing lunch out with friends. I felt fine but started an oral antibiotic at my doctor's request.
I never really understood what FEV meant or questioned my doctor about trying different meds. My lung function declined ever so slowly from 48% down to 41% over a 6 1/2 year period since my last surgery. It was when I became proactive because of the knowledge that I learned on this forum that I was able to bring my FEV 1 back up to 48%. I am very thankful to have cysticfibrosis.com at my fingertips. It provides a place where we can share and learn from each other.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
<b>Present meds and treatments:</b>
albuteral (twice a day)
Pulmozyme (once a day)
7% HS (twice a day)
Tobramycin (twice a day every other month)
Advair 100/50 (twice a day)
Respirtech vest 30 minutes twice a day
treadmill 35 minutes every other day
Good luck to you with preparing your body for pregnancy. BTW I had my three children after I had 1/2 of a lung removed. I did have a major bleed with my first pregnancy at 6 weeks. What a scare that was! But nothing after that or during the other two pregnancies.
Living in the present moment is what keeps me from worrying about tomorrow and I have a very strong faith life which keeps me centered. I hope you find what works for you.
I can see how much you want to be a mom and that you are trying to do all you can by gathering information. That's a great first step. I wish you well. Please keep up udated with how things are going.