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Any suggestions for expelling tenacioius mucus plugs?
Despite drinking lots of fluids (mostly water) and using 7% saline in my Aerobica twice a day, my CT scans consistently show mucus plugs deep in my lungs. Maybe it's because I live in such a dry climate (southern AZ) but I have a difficult time getting phlegm up. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
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That wasn’t me who had a bronchoscopy.
@coffcoff However I won't do anything for MAC except watchful waiting In that case I wonder if it's worth having the procedure.
@coffcoff is the Aerobica flutter device as effective as vest?
@cressida92 I have a vest but I don't use it because I find it ineffective. I also don't use my flutter valve anymore for the same reason. But that's just me. We're all so different in how we respond to things. I've only been dealing with bronchiectasis for four years and in that time have changed my approach to airway clearance many times. I think we all have to experiment until we figure out what works best for us as individuals.
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1 Reactioncoffcoff, I really appreciate your description of our goal here-- to move the daily mucus, not necessarily get the mucus plugs out. (Did I understand that right?)
If that's the case, then maybe the Aerobika and vest are doing their jobs after all. When I use the aerobika, it pretty much shuts down my airway clearance-- I get NOTHING out. So I just now got a vest, and have used it for 3 sessions now, and can't say I got much out using that either. So maybe they're really doing their jobs behind the scenes by moving mucus around, even though it doesn't come out?
(Should I be using both the aerobika and vest at the same time?)
Normally, without the aerobika or vest, I can lay back in my recliner and get a bunch of mucus out.
I’m having a bronchoscopy on Tuesday. This will be my third time. The first time they also took a biopsy and my lung collapsed. I was in the hospital with a chest tube 4 days
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1 Reaction@letsjustbreathe You can use the vest and Aerobika together to save time. Then try postural drainage, like lying back in your recliner. That sounds like a winning combination for you!
@letsjustbreathe
personally, I'd do whatever helps you to expel the phlegm. If that's lying back in the recliner, do that. Among the many reasons we are all different is because we have bronchiectasis in varying parts of our lungs. Knowing where your bronchiectasis can be useful when it comes to airway clearance. This diagram of the lungs helped me to understand why postural drainage is useful to me.
detailed-black-white-illustration-human-lungs-anatomy-medical-diagram-detailed-black-white-illustration-human-395288128 (detailed-black-white-illustration-human-lungs-anatomy-medical-diagram-detailed-black-white-illustration-human-395288128.pdf)