I'm relatively stable and I nebulize twice a day everyday to keep airways as clear as possible and to reduce the likelihood of NTM, pseudomonas, etc. Even though my bronchiectasis is mild, with increasing age and loss of lung elasticity, it seems the phlegm accumulates more than it did when I was younger. I feel better after airway clearance especially in the morning. P.M. I have to make myself do it. When I'm brewing something I increase the nebbing to 3x-4x.
I'm relatively stable and I nebulize twice a day everyday to keep airways as clear as possible and to reduce the likelihood of NTM, pseudomonas, etc. Even though my bronchiectasis is mild, with increasing age and loss of lung elasticity, it seems the phlegm accumulates more than it did when I was younger. I feel better after airway clearance especially in the morning. P.M. I have to make myself do it. When I'm brewing something I increase the nebbing to 3x-4x.
Scoop, may I know your routine and techniques? Do you use 3% or 7%? Do you use inhaler first ? I do ACT twice, nebulize 3% but the bacteria I have grow from scant growth to moderate growth 🙁 I have yellow/green/dark yellow (light brown) mucus every day. Don't know what to do.
@kgggg I have been stable for a long time (4+ years), and actually have a greater need to control chronic asthma and hyperreactive airway than bronchiectasis. I do airway clearance daily, often twice, using a combination of exercise and Aerobika. I nebulize saline 2-3 times each week, daily if I am having either an asthma or bronchiectasis exacerbation or a respiratory virus or infection. Right now it is tree pollen eeeason where I live, so I neb about 2 ml of saline every day to keep my lungs clear. I can tell during morning yoga if I need it.
I figure this is my best plan - listen to my body, and treat accordingly. Last year I had only one small exacerbation during a respiratory virus, so I feel it works for me.
Each person has different lungs, underlying conditions, and health history, and needs to learn what works. There is no one size fits all solution.
Sue
Hi, Sue. This is interesting for me to read as I had an appointment last week with a Bronchiectasis specialist at Mass General who felt my asthma might be a bigger contributor than I had realized.
I had been nebulizing with levalbutirol followed by 7% saline and then ACT and symbicort. She said that outside of cystic fibrosis, there is no research to date that shows 7% to be more beneficial than 3% in those with non-CF Bronchiectasis and that 7% can be a concern for those with asthma due to the risk of bronchospasms. She suggested I go back to 3% saline, which was news to me.
Has anyone else been told this approach?
Hi, Sue. This is interesting for me to read as I had an appointment last week with a Bronchiectasis specialist at Mass General who felt my asthma might be a bigger contributor than I had realized.
I had been nebulizing with levalbutirol followed by 7% saline and then ACT and symbicort. She said that outside of cystic fibrosis, there is no research to date that shows 7% to be more beneficial than 3% in those with non-CF Bronchiectasis and that 7% can be a concern for those with asthma due to the risk of bronchospasms. She suggested I go back to 3% saline, which was news to me.
Has anyone else been told this approach?
At first, my pulmonologist would not give me 7% and insisted that I try 3%. They thought that 7% would be too harsh. 3% was not much better than .09% for me. I am also thought to have asthma. Finally, they agreed to 7% and I have not looked back. Within the first few minutes of nebulizing, I do cough, maybe it’s a bronchi spasm, but it helps get the gunk out. It would be a setback for me if I had to go back to 3%.
I began nebulizing 2x per day in August 2023. I started with 3% saline to see how well I could tolerate it. It was no problem. So, I then graduated to 7% . Prior to August 2023, I had a extremely bad cough and a lot of congestion and mucus. Since I've been nebbing with 7% (since about Oct 2023), the cough has decreased dramatically. I can now go out in public without worrying! Since my symptoms are pretty stable, I now neb 1x per day for about 20 minutes in the early morning on an empty stomach. I take 2 puffs Albuterol, then use my nebulizer & Aerobika airway clearance device simultaneously for 20 minutes. Directly afterward, I spend another 20 minutes using my HillRom compression vest. This works well for me. Should my cough increase or other negative symptoms arise, I will increase to 2x per day.
Hi, Sue. This is interesting for me to read as I had an appointment last week with a Bronchiectasis specialist at Mass General who felt my asthma might be a bigger contributor than I had realized.
I had been nebulizing with levalbutirol followed by 7% saline and then ACT and symbicort. She said that outside of cystic fibrosis, there is no research to date that shows 7% to be more beneficial than 3% in those with non-CF Bronchiectasis and that 7% can be a concern for those with asthma due to the risk of bronchospasms. She suggested I go back to 3% saline, which was news to me.
Has anyone else been told this approach?
My pulmonologist says the same about the 7%, but she lets me use it since it doesn't seem to cause bronchospasms. If it did, I would go to 3%, but I never want to do the antibiotica again if I can help it!
That is an interesting combination - my Pulmo told me that unless I am in an active exacerbation, the levalbuterol neb is not necessary - I simply use the Symbicort 15-30 minutes before airway clearance. I love it - one less thing to deal with. Fingers crossed, but only one exacerbation in over 18 months on this regimen & I managed it with 14 days of prednisone and no antibiotics - and my MAC does not appear to have flared back up from the prednisone.
Sue
My pulmonologist says the same about the 7%, but she lets me use it since it doesn't seem to cause bronchospasms. If it did, I would go to 3%, but I never want to do the antibiotica again if I can help it!
That is an interesting combination - my Pulmo told me that unless I am in an active exacerbation, the levalbuterol neb is not necessary - I simply use the Symbicort 15-30 minutes before airway clearance. I love it - one less thing to deal with. Fingers crossed, but only one exacerbation in over 18 months on this regimen & I managed it with 14 days of prednisone and no antibiotics - and my MAC does not appear to have flared back up from the prednisone.
Sue
Sue, is Symbicort is only for Asthma? I don't have asthma but I have bronchictasis and chronic bronchitis. Levalbuterol does not help much (inhaler). Is Prednisone, a steroid? I have been having exacerbations lately.
At first, my pulmonologist would not give me 7% and insisted that I try 3%. They thought that 7% would be too harsh. 3% was not much better than .09% for me. I am also thought to have asthma. Finally, they agreed to 7% and I have not looked back. Within the first few minutes of nebulizing, I do cough, maybe it’s a bronchi spasm, but it helps get the gunk out. It would be a setback for me if I had to go back to 3%.
Within a few minutes of nebulizing with 7%, I start coughing.
So I stop and suck on a CVS cough drop. After 30-60 seconds,
I can continue. Sometimes I will cough again after two or three
minutes, so I do the cough drop again. Sometimes it takes me
45 minutes to do 30 minutes of 7%, but I think it's worth it.
Harry
My pulmonologist says the same about the 7%, but she lets me use it since it doesn't seem to cause bronchospasms. If it did, I would go to 3%, but I never want to do the antibiotica again if I can help it!
That is an interesting combination - my Pulmo told me that unless I am in an active exacerbation, the levalbuterol neb is not necessary - I simply use the Symbicort 15-30 minutes before airway clearance. I love it - one less thing to deal with. Fingers crossed, but only one exacerbation in over 18 months on this regimen & I managed it with 14 days of prednisone and no antibiotics - and my MAC does not appear to have flared back up from the prednisone.
Sue
I would love not to use the levalbutirol - feels like a lot combined with the symbicort! But my local pulmonologist as well as the Bronchiectasis specialist in Boston said the levalbutirol should be used first to prevent bronchospasms and to smooth the lung/airways and then to do the symbicort after the saline as it's more effective then. A case of talking to a different doctor, you'll often get a different answer!
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I'm relatively stable and I nebulize twice a day everyday to keep airways as clear as possible and to reduce the likelihood of NTM, pseudomonas, etc. Even though my bronchiectasis is mild, with increasing age and loss of lung elasticity, it seems the phlegm accumulates more than it did when I was younger. I feel better after airway clearance especially in the morning. P.M. I have to make myself do it. When I'm brewing something I increase the nebbing to 3x-4x.
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Hug
3 ReactionsScoop, may I know your routine and techniques? Do you use 3% or 7%? Do you use inhaler first ? I do ACT twice, nebulize 3% but the bacteria I have grow from scant growth to moderate growth 🙁 I have yellow/green/dark yellow (light brown) mucus every day. Don't know what to do.
@kgggg I have been stable for a long time (4+ years), and actually have a greater need to control chronic asthma and hyperreactive airway than bronchiectasis. I do airway clearance daily, often twice, using a combination of exercise and Aerobika. I nebulize saline 2-3 times each week, daily if I am having either an asthma or bronchiectasis exacerbation or a respiratory virus or infection. Right now it is tree pollen eeeason where I live, so I neb about 2 ml of saline every day to keep my lungs clear. I can tell during morning yoga if I need it.
I figure this is my best plan - listen to my body, and treat accordingly. Last year I had only one small exacerbation during a respiratory virus, so I feel it works for me.
Each person has different lungs, underlying conditions, and health history, and needs to learn what works. There is no one size fits all solution.
Sue
Hi, Sue. This is interesting for me to read as I had an appointment last week with a Bronchiectasis specialist at Mass General who felt my asthma might be a bigger contributor than I had realized.
I had been nebulizing with levalbutirol followed by 7% saline and then ACT and symbicort. She said that outside of cystic fibrosis, there is no research to date that shows 7% to be more beneficial than 3% in those with non-CF Bronchiectasis and that 7% can be a concern for those with asthma due to the risk of bronchospasms. She suggested I go back to 3% saline, which was news to me.
Has anyone else been told this approach?
At first, my pulmonologist would not give me 7% and insisted that I try 3%. They thought that 7% would be too harsh. 3% was not much better than .09% for me. I am also thought to have asthma. Finally, they agreed to 7% and I have not looked back. Within the first few minutes of nebulizing, I do cough, maybe it’s a bronchi spasm, but it helps get the gunk out. It would be a setback for me if I had to go back to 3%.
I began nebulizing 2x per day in August 2023. I started with 3% saline to see how well I could tolerate it. It was no problem. So, I then graduated to 7% . Prior to August 2023, I had a extremely bad cough and a lot of congestion and mucus. Since I've been nebbing with 7% (since about Oct 2023), the cough has decreased dramatically. I can now go out in public without worrying! Since my symptoms are pretty stable, I now neb 1x per day for about 20 minutes in the early morning on an empty stomach. I take 2 puffs Albuterol, then use my nebulizer & Aerobika airway clearance device simultaneously for 20 minutes. Directly afterward, I spend another 20 minutes using my HillRom compression vest. This works well for me. Should my cough increase or other negative symptoms arise, I will increase to 2x per day.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionMy pulmonologist says the same about the 7%, but she lets me use it since it doesn't seem to cause bronchospasms. If it did, I would go to 3%, but I never want to do the antibiotica again if I can help it!
That is an interesting combination - my Pulmo told me that unless I am in an active exacerbation, the levalbuterol neb is not necessary - I simply use the Symbicort 15-30 minutes before airway clearance. I love it - one less thing to deal with. Fingers crossed, but only one exacerbation in over 18 months on this regimen & I managed it with 14 days of prednisone and no antibiotics - and my MAC does not appear to have flared back up from the prednisone.
Sue
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionSue, is Symbicort is only for Asthma? I don't have asthma but I have bronchictasis and chronic bronchitis. Levalbuterol does not help much (inhaler). Is Prednisone, a steroid? I have been having exacerbations lately.
Within a few minutes of nebulizing with 7%, I start coughing.
So I stop and suck on a CVS cough drop. After 30-60 seconds,
I can continue. Sometimes I will cough again after two or three
minutes, so I do the cough drop again. Sometimes it takes me
45 minutes to do 30 minutes of 7%, but I think it's worth it.
Harry
I would love not to use the levalbutirol - feels like a lot combined with the symbicort! But my local pulmonologist as well as the Bronchiectasis specialist in Boston said the levalbutirol should be used first to prevent bronchospasms and to smooth the lung/airways and then to do the symbicort after the saline as it's more effective then. A case of talking to a different doctor, you'll often get a different answer!