1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

Short video on nebbing saline

Posted by bronchiectasaurus @bronchiectasaurus, 3 days ago

Hi all, I just made a video about how I nebulize saline to manage bronchiectasis. I've never actually seen a video of someone doing all this stuff, so I made one myself!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

bronchiectasaurus | @bronchiectasaurus | 1 day ago
In reply to @scoop "@bronchiectasaurus Would it be possible to confirm something for me? My Grownsy [travel] sterilizer is modular,..." + (show)
@scoop

@bronchiectasaurus Would it be possible to confirm something for me? My Grownsy [travel] sterilizer is modular, meaning I can use the accessories tray without the middle tank. Can yours be used in a similar setup? Here's a picture in case it helps explain my question.

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Yes, mine is like that. I don't use the bottle part any more, just the shorter "parts shelf" directly on the base.

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linda1334 | @linda1334 | 1 day ago
In reply to @bamaqueen "You didn’t miss anything. She said she never uses soap because she boils every day. I..." + (show)
@bamaqueen

You didn’t miss anything. She said she never uses soap because she boils every day. I agree with you, the soap breaks up the biofilm on the equipment. I rinse and soak with Dawn free and clear unscented then boil. I don’t agree with not covering the equipment for drying either. I take mine from boiling into the Bololo sterilizer/dryer and run the full cycle with the cover on. I do four sets and leave it covered removing as needed until time to sterilize them all again.
Not everyone does it the same way, but this is what I settled on after much research and advice.

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Why do you boil and then use the Bololo serrilizer? Doesn't the Bololo take care of everything? I'm trying to figure out a good routine.

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bamaqueen | @bamaqueen | 1 day ago

When I was a newbie, I consulted with another RN that I met on here, she also lives relatively close to me. Being somewhat of the same mind, this was her routine and I just decided it couldn’t hurt and I adopted her routine. The boiling gives me more peace of mind, but I had the Bololo already, so I just do both. Yes, the Bololo should do the job. At the time, I was reading some questionable things about it being effective enough to kill NTMs.
Retired RN that was already a germaphobe before my diagnosis of pseudomonas and Absessus. Does that help explain?

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | 1 day ago
In reply to @bronchiectasaurus "Great question! It's to prevent mineral buildup on the equipment. You can boil in tap water..." + (show)
@bronchiectasaurus

Great question! It's to prevent mineral buildup on the equipment. You can boil in tap water instead, but then you have to soak everything in vinegar at least once a week to remove mineral scale. Using distilled water lets you skip this step, and protects your lungs from inhaling lime and other mineral crust along with saline.

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I bet when you made your video you never thought you would become the star of the week in our group!
Thank you so much!

For all of those asking about distilled vs tap water for boiling, and contemplating adding a vinegar soak - if your tap water is softened or filtered (mine is filtered through charcoal then .2 micron filters) lime scale may NOT be an issue, and vinegar soaks or using distilled water are unnecessary steps. How can you tell? Do you get etching on glassware or visible whitish residue on faucets or within water spots on dark dishes - that might be lime scale. If not, skip the vinegar - don't make more work for yourself.

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steph139 | @steph139 | 17 hours ago

Thank you for sharing that video and commentary .
It’s so helpful to see the process live by a real patient & hear non-clinical ( friggin’ )explanations!

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lilianna | @lilianna | 16 hours ago
In reply to @scoop "This is something I wondered about if the Bololo stays hot enough long enough so I..." + (show)
@scoop

This is something I wondered about if the Bololo stays hot enough long enough so I did my own test. My home test with a Thermpen (rapid read thermometer) measured over 212F for 13 minutes. That's suitable for me so I use it for sterilization and I have recaptured daily time, effort and expense. The Grownsy that I travel with is not as robust (212 for 8 minutes) which for short term use is good enough for me.

In the future, science may be able to identify exact exposure levels and sources of bacteria like Pseudomonas and NTM, and perhaps even provide home tests to detect these organisms. Until then, we each do what we believe works best for us.

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Scoop, I purchasedbololo sterilizer and tried to measure the inside temperature, well with a candy thermometer by inserting the sharp end into the vapor opening. It came up to 203. Now, how did you measure? Inside the basket and what is that thermpen? Thank you

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