Unable to produce sputum

In a pinch, if there are a few days where I can’t get as much mucus up with various techniques, I asked my husband to cup his hand and while on my stomach turned to the side a bit, he tapped my lungs. It works for CF patients so I thought I would try it. Technique could likely be better, but it was worth the attempt.

I had also tried more exercise that day too so it could be a coincidence, but it seemed to loosen some mucus immediately before a huff cough. We should use everything in our toolkit. 🙂

Good luck shaking the mucus loose. It’s frustrating when we know it is there, but is being stubborn about making an appearance!

This is described in a Mayo Patient Education brochure entitled "Techniques for Clearing Your Lungs."

Are those brochures available electronically? Thanks.

some are on mayoclinic.org, hard to find. Here is this one

Newly diagnosed MAC/MAI patient here. . . .have a stupid question. . . . .whats the importance of producing sputum. I am asymtpomatic, no cough, no sputum.

Because mucus in the lungs can feed bacteria, your pulmonologist would have better answers for you. Usually nebulizing saline and producing sputum helps keep the lungs more inhospitable to the bacteria.

I believe, I may be wrong, that getting moisture directly into the lungs via saline solution, nebulizing is the key to loosening the mucus that is building and sitting there that won't come up. Getting that mucus out will help us to keep ourselves healthy and infections down and hopefully cleared. So, one helps oneself by getting moisture directly into the lungs, (nebulizing) mucus drainage techniques, exercise and huff coughing.
Hope you are getting the answers here on our very special site and with the help others give us.
Barbara

The issue is not the production of sputum - we all have mucus coating the insides of our lungs but some have much less than others. And some have very sticky mucus that is not easy to move or to expel.
The issue is to keep the mucus that is in there thinned and moving - stagnant pools or pockets are breeding grounds for bacteria like MAC/MAI and Pseudomonas.

Hence, even with little mucus, the concept of airway clearance is important. Here is one of the very best video tutorials I have found on the subject:

Thank you so much for this share.
Really good explanation and information. I think it is one of the best.
For me this is the first time I have come across this pdf. being given.
A good one to share with family members also to help them, and others interested, to see and understand what it is all about for us with lung mucus problems, mucus build up.
Thanks again.
Barbara