Pari eRapid/eFlow first impressions

@bronchiectasaurus Yes - Salty - Wow! And I just learned to slow the flow by placing my upper lip on the blue flap on the top of the mouthpiece, which keeps from wasting so much saline. And with theopening a little farther back in my mouth, I cough a little less. This is harder to describe, then to do). And I turn the compressor off if I start coughing a lot.

I too am a new user of the Pari eRapid, and I only boil after 2-3 uses. But, this is not my first mesh nebulizer, and trust me when I say the mesh screens are very delicate and can clog easily, so I don't skip the thorough prerinse, detergent soak, or post rinse because the screen (in the head) is pricy to replace.

My routine - use my Symbicort inhaler (used to use Levalbuterol) and wait 15 minutes, neb saline, dismantle nebulizer and rinse, soak (with kitchen timer running), rinse again in filtered water at my tap. On boiling days, I drop the pieces in pot to boil & set the timer for 10 minutes (how long it takes my pot to come to a boil), check the heat and reset timer. When the final timer rings, I turn off the burner and let the water cool.
While I have that going, I do some of my PT or house chores, then start airway clearance when I start the pot. I usually finish about the time the last timer rings. (I reuse my now sterile distilled water several times, leaving it in a covered pot on the stove.

Not nearly as onerous as it sounds, and since the mucus comes up quickly, the whole process is 35 minutes & I have managed some of my PT or tidying up in the meanwhile.

So far 2 weeks in, I am loving it. As it is both smoke and allergy season, it is getting a good workout. As a stable bronchie, with no infection, I usually use saline 2-3 times a week. At this time of year it is daily. I haven't needed to use any of my "other drugs" for an exacerbation yet, so can only say how fast and effective the saline is. But I may ask my pulmo if there is a nebulized version of the Symbicort that may be more effective than the inhaler for this tricky time of year.

@bronchiectasaurus Yes - Salty - Wow! And I just learned to slow the flow by placing my upper lip on the blue flap on the top of the mouthpiece, which keeps from wasting so much saline. And with theopening a little farther back in my mouth, I cough a little less. This is harder to describe, then to do). And I turn the compressor off if I start coughing a lot.

I too am a new user of the Pari eRapid, and I only boil after 2-3 uses. But, this is not my first mesh nebulizer, and trust me when I say the mesh screens are very delicate and can clog easily, so I don't skip the thorough prerinse, detergent soak, or post rinse because the screen (in the head) is pricy to replace.

My routine - use my Symbicort inhaler (used to use Levalbuterol) and wait 15 minutes, neb saline, dismantle nebulizer and rinse, soak (with kitchen timer running), rinse again in filtered water at my tap. On boiling days, I drop the pieces in pot to boil & set the timer for 10 minutes (how long it takes my pot to come to a boil), check the heat and reset timer. When the final timer rings, I turn off the burner and let the water cool.
While I have that going, I do some of my PT or house chores, then start airway clearance when I start the pot. I usually finish about the time the last timer rings. (I reuse my now sterile distilled water several times, leaving it in a covered pot on the stove.

Not nearly as onerous as it sounds, and since the mucus comes up quickly, the whole process is 35 minutes & I have managed some of my PT or tidying up in the meanwhile.

So far 2 weeks in, I am loving it. As it is both smoke and allergy season, it is getting a good workout. As a stable bronchie, with no infection, I usually use saline 2-3 times a week. At this time of year it is daily. I haven't needed to use any of my "other drugs" for an exacerbation yet, so can only say how fast and effective the saline is. But I may ask my pulmo if there is a nebulized version of the Symbicort that may be more effective than the inhaler for this tricky time of year.

Do you know if this the same Pari eflow that is supplied for use with Arikayce (Lamira nebulizer system)? Being a recent Arikayce drop-out, due to side-effects, I have this unit and would love a system that saves me time and I could also use for travel.

Hi Sue, could you clarify a point? Are you doing the Pari eRapid plus using the aerobika afterward. How long do you expect the mesh in the eRapid system to last? Finally just to be clear, after how many uses are you sterilizing?

For folks who got the eRapid to nebulize saline, did insurance cover any part of it? If so, how did you need to document medical necessity?

Do you know if this the same Pari eflow that is supplied for use with Arikayce (Lamira nebulizer system)? Being a recent Arikayce drop-out, due to side-effects, I have this unit and would love a system that saves me time and I could also use for travel.

I think you have to get the handset that goes with the eflow and not the Lamira etc.

Mine did not. If you have Medicare, it is impossible to get the high end nebulizers prescribed unless they are required for a specific medication. I used HSA money to pay for mine. Now fingers crossed we don't need any dental work for a while.