@1fancydancer it's a lot to deal with! Yes, nebulizing saline can irritate the throat. For many of us here that seems to go away after a while. I stop and sip a cup of hot ginger tea with honey alternating with ice water as needed during nebulizing which does seem to help. I started with 3% saline once a day & upped it to 7% twice a when I was dx with MAC. I would not be able to clear much at all without the saline nebulizing.