Any advice on how to speed this up?

Posted by yorkieyoli @yorkieyoli, Sep 18, 2025

I attach my Aerobika to the the Aeroeclipse XL nebulizer with the Pari ProNeb Max compressor. This is to nebulize 7% sodium chloride solution. But the entire process takes about 45 minutes.

Doing this twice a day, along with still nebulizing levalbuterol, is upwards of 2 hours a day (morning and night).

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to nebulize with an aerobika faster? I go to work every day, and I have to get up at the crack of dawn to get all this done before leaving the house. It's exhausting and very time consuming.

I definitely want to nebulize with the aerobika, but I would be very grateful on how to make it go faster. I thought the processor I had was supposed to be powerful. Any suggestions please?

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

Profile picture for yorkieyoli @yorkieyoli

@mjb24 I was diagnosed with MAC and bronchiectasis, but I've always been pretty much asymptomatic, except for a bit of mucus in the morning. I'm going for a CT scan soon, so I'm hoping the MAC is not making things worse. I've never been on the big 3, and my doctor is hesitant to put me on it while I'm asymptomatic. But my last chest CT (6 months ago) definitely showed the MAC was likely advancing. I don't know what the right thing to do is.

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There are plenty of others on the site who are or were in the same boat as you as far as deciding whether or not to start treatment. I can't speak to that because I had little choice due to having multiple cavities. I can tell you that not everyone has bad side effects from the antibiotics. I have been on them for over a year with no problems other than some nausea when first starting out. Best of luck ! Hang in there and continue to use this site to gain insight & encouragement from others who are dealing with the same things.

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Profile picture for lilianna @lilianna

Is it all done with aeroclipse attached to aerobika?

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Yes but you can detach the Aerobika once you switch to normal breaths. I just prefer to keep it attached. Some say to do the Aerobika by itself after your lungs are nice and wet from nebbing saline. I tried that too but actually get more out doing it the way I explained in last post and it saves time.

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Profile picture for yorkieyoli @yorkieyoli

@mjb24 I was diagnosed with MAC and bronchiectasis, but I've always been pretty much asymptomatic, except for a bit of mucus in the morning. I'm going for a CT scan soon, so I'm hoping the MAC is not making things worse. I've never been on the big 3, and my doctor is hesitant to put me on it while I'm asymptomatic. But my last chest CT (6 months ago) definitely showed the MAC was likely advancing. I don't know what the right thing to do is.

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This recent video by Dr. Chuck Daly at National Jewish, "Treating NTM" is really helpful at explaining the decision to treat or continue "watchful waiting." It's sometimes a confusing decision especially when you see some on the 'Big 3' and others aren't but he really breaks it down and explains how all the various factors play into the decision.

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Also, I use a Pari LC Sprint cup and I feel like it's about 6 minutes using the Pari ProNeb Max. I typically do the nebulizing first with the 7% to wet my lungs down and then I lie in various positions while using the Aerobika. Like Mary suggested, I also take a deep breath, hold for a count of 2-4s and then breath out into the Aerobika. That gets the air behind the gunk that is stuck and allows some of it to loosen and come out.

Everyone has their own method based on what seems to work best, so try different things and see what seems most effective for you. I have tried the Aeroclipse XL attached to my Aerobika and I feel like the Pari LC delivers a more powerful punch at wetting everything down more aggressively even though it's the same amount of saline. I personally like doing each step separately but that's just what works for me. Doing these steps separately, I feel takes me about 30m total

Pari LC https://nebology.com/collections/nebulizer-parts/products/pari-lc-sprint-reusable-nebulizer-cup-tubing

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Profile picture for yorkieyoli @yorkieyoli

@mjb24 I was diagnosed with MAC and bronchiectasis, but I've always been pretty much asymptomatic, except for a bit of mucus in the morning. I'm going for a CT scan soon, so I'm hoping the MAC is not making things worse. I've never been on the big 3, and my doctor is hesitant to put me on it while I'm asymptomatic. But my last chest CT (6 months ago) definitely showed the MAC was likely advancing. I don't know what the right thing to do is.

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What do your sputum cultures show? MAC cannot be diagnosed from a CT alone.

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Profile picture for blm1007blm1007 @blm1007blm1007

You indicate MAC. Do you know specifically what type of MAC infection you have? Do you know receive the lab results for your review?
Barbara

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@blm1007blm1007 - I had a bronchoscopy about 3 years ago which showed avium complex.
My last cat scan looked a lot worse to me, but my doctor did not seem to think it was terrible. I'm getting a cat scan in the next couple of weeks, and if I still can't produce sputum, I have to go for another bronchoscopy to check the MAC

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