Airway clearance

When clearing my lungs was an issue, I had some success with using one vial of saline, then exercising (brisk walk, stretching, whatever you like to do) then doing airway clearance. I think the movement allows the saline to move deeper and shakes it loose. Sometimes I don't even finish my activity before the mucus starts to come out.
Or, if not time to exercise, engage in some vigorous house work for a while, then do clearance. Giving the saline time to work and not quantity was my key.

Helen when my throat is irritated with 7 or 3% I use 0.9% following the advice of my immunologist. It’s isotonic saline just like fluids inside us. She says it would only moisture lungs, gently.

Do you guys have to stop in the middle when you do airway clearance or inhaling arikayce or amikacin?
I need to stop now and then to cough up mucus. It keeps secreting during the process, so it takes me 1.5 hours + to do saline and amikacin everyday!!! Very time consuming!!!

Hello. I would take 1.5 hrs a day. I was on 3 oral antibiotics for a year and a half for MAC. They became resistant to the bacteria, and I was put on IV Amikacin & Imipenem in June, 3 times a day. It usually takes at least 4 to 5 hrs everyday to get this done. I just had a Robotic lung resection to remove a cavity, which was continuing to grow despite all of the meds. The surgeon though that was where the bacteria was breeding. Surgery was on 8/5. I am a very active 69 year old and and I am hoping I can get back to where I was - playing tennis, riding and doing yard work. I am only on my 4th week post op, but I have been coughing my head off - it's a very dry cough and my breathing doesn't seem as good as it was before. Doctor's say it's from the anesthesia, tube, etc, and will get better with time, but let me tell you, everyday I question if I should have had the surgery. I know I am very impatient , I am not a good sit around and take it easy type of person, but I am trying to be good and go by the doctors instructions. The only symptom I had when diagnosed with Mac, was coughing, which I have done every morning as long as I can remember. My pulmonologist wants to keep me on these IV meds for another month, then switch to a different IV med and an oral medication for 9 more months. He wants 3 neg cultures before stopping the meds. I have an appointment with an infectious disease doctor next month to discuss all of this with him. I do not want to continue the IV meds for a year, so I am hoping we can come up with another plan.

I got a compression vest which beats on your chest to loosen mucous. I try to do nebulizer but the saline is killing me cough so hard I throw up

Hi, maybe you can change saline to a lower does? Does your insurance company cover this cost of vest?

I changed airway clearance to 1 time per day and my bleeding also stopped. Guess saline irritation + upside down gesture both contributed to it.