Connect
← Return to Any suggestions for expelling tenacioius mucus plugs?
Discussion
Any suggestions for expelling tenacioius mucus plugs?
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 14 hours ago | Replies (54)Comment receiving replies
@saburrows I SO feel your pain! Unfortunately, the problem you're having is pretty common. Do you have a compressor and nebulizer that you use? Don't rely on some chintzy thing. Buy good compressor. I have an Ombra and a Pari Trek S that I bought for traveling but now I use it at home, too, because it brings up more mucus than the Ombra (though I don't know why, seeing as the Ombra is more powerful). Others use the Pari e-Rapid, which is the Cadillac of compressors but very expensive. Buy the best one you can afford. Use it twice a day.
Also, postural drainage works for some people. And if you don't know about huff coughing, watch some videos on how to do it right. Keeping well hydrated also helps to thin the mucus and makes it easier to cough out.
And try not to get discouraged. We all have more mucus on some days and little to none on others.
Also, find a different pulmonologist! In my experience, a lot of them don't have much interest in bronchiectasis and NTM. They seem to prefer treating COPD and lung cancer. Do you have an ID doctor? Lots of us have had to travel out of our area to find the health care we need. Would that be possible for you?
Best of luck to you!
Replies to "@saburrows I SO feel your pain! Unfortunately, the problem you're having is pretty common. Do you..."
Connect
@coffcoff I do have a nebulizer (DeVilbiss) and use it everyday with 0.9% saline. I have also tried it with acetylcysteine which is supposed to thin the mucus and after doing it everyday for almost a month, nada. I did see an ID doctor who put me on the 3 antibiotics 3 times a week. After 20 months the CT scan showed it was still there. He referred me to a pulmonologist in the Non-Tuberculosis clinic is a larger city, 1.5 hours away. I can't change to another pulmonologist as this is the only clinic in the province and it's very busy with patients. A different pulmonologist that I had done a "breath easy" zoom class told me that I might be one of those people that just doesn't produce much mucus. That may be true because when I was sick last year with something I was coughing up mucus and manage to get one sample, but one only. I have watched YouTube for huff coughing, and again, didn't help. I do and always have drank lots of water. I would like to be able to produce a sputum sample instead of having to rely on CT scans. The ID doctor went nuts with them. I had 7 scans done in 18 months. That's like 7000 x-rays. Not good. Oh, and I also have bronchiectasis, though the pulmonologist said it was serious, like 5%, and she wants to keep it that low.