Thank you, Kathy, for posting this.
If I am reading correctly, the inhaled saline, both .9% and 6% gave similar positive results long term. Good news. Makes me wonder if the nebbing itself is more important than the strength of the saline. I have been nebbing 7% saline for over a year now religiously 2x a day. Over this time my coughing has increased both while doing the nebbing and throughout the day, and I generally feel crummy afterward. My scans and Pulmonary Function Tests have remained pretty stable.
Yesterday I had dental surgery which requires me to suspend the nebbing and aerobika for a few days. I feel so much better and have almost no coughing! I have two more days of abstinence to go, so it will be interesting to see how I fare, coughwise. I'm not saying no to nebbing. I firmly believe that it is important for me to clear out the mucus and the bugs swimming around in it. (I have MAC and Pseudomonas along with mild BE). I am wondering, however, if cutting back to a weaker solution (3%), would irritate me less. My concern about doing this is that maybe the MAC and PA would have a more comfortable living arrangement. Does anyone know if there has been a study looking at whether a stronger solution of saline has a greater negative effect on MAC and PA? Thanks for any input you might have.