Living Dangerously - Nebulizer Cleaning

Posted by thumperguy @thumperguy, Mar 12, 2021

I marvel at the time consuming, meticulous way many, perhaps the majority, of contributors to this forum clean and sanitize nebulizers. Following the treatment session I soap and hot water “bathe” the mouthpiece then let it air dry until its next use. The tube gets no special attention except being fully disconnected from the compressor. I’ve read of some regimens aimed at sanitizing shower heads; another activity I ignore entirely. I’m closing in on 16 months free of a “flare-up” involving fever, and an antibiotic to defeat.
The lengthening periods of freedom from acute symptoms is something I attribute solely to learning about 7% saline nebulizer solution which I read about on this forum.
My comparatively minimal attention to “sanitation” may catch up with me but so far so good.

I should add that I realize many forum participants are contending with considerably more virulent pathology than I am. Don

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

@shooei

I use the Innospire Go and I love it. Drawbacks for me is that it is spendy and with the 7% saline, it wears out quicker than they say it should. @sueinmn , I find it just as fast as my Pari Vios Pro with the Sprint nebulizer. Though I'm sure the Innospire Go wastes med if you don't turn it off while "coughing, sputtering, clearing gunk". Probably why I neb at least 8 ml of saline! But I enjoy the silence sooooo much!! If I weren't getting the gunk up, I would switch in a heartbeat. I do rotate between that and the Pari Pro, and I do like the new mouthpiece on the Sprint with the expiration valve.

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@shooei I recently bought an Innospire Go and holy cow that thing is fast delivering the saline. It takes like five minutes. It's so fast that when I breathe through my mouth it makes me cough terribly because I've had a chronic cough for three years and the air stream is so fast that it tickle my throat is such a way that I can't do it SO I use the little mask thing that covers your nose and I breathe through my nose now. And then I switch it up sometimes and go back to my handy dandy Power Neb Ultra from Drive which, now compared to the Innospire is really slow but I feel like it might deliver the meds better. I don't know. I'm not a scientist. But I might look at the Pari Vios Pro with the Sprint nebulizer. And what is it about the new mouthpiece on the Sprint that you like? What does that expiration valve do? Nan

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@nannette

@shooei I recently bought an Innospire Go and holy cow that thing is fast delivering the saline. It takes like five minutes. It's so fast that when I breathe through my mouth it makes me cough terribly because I've had a chronic cough for three years and the air stream is so fast that it tickle my throat is such a way that I can't do it SO I use the little mask thing that covers your nose and I breathe through my nose now. And then I switch it up sometimes and go back to my handy dandy Power Neb Ultra from Drive which, now compared to the Innospire is really slow but I feel like it might deliver the meds better. I don't know. I'm not a scientist. But I might look at the Pari Vios Pro with the Sprint nebulizer. And what is it about the new mouthpiece on the Sprint that you like? What does that expiration valve do? Nan

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Nan- the valve closes on expiration to keep you from blowing the meds out the vent, so you get the full dose. The old valve caused loss of part of it in the stream.
Sue

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@sueinmn

Nan- the valve closes on expiration to keep you from blowing the meds out the vent, so you get the full dose. The old valve caused loss of part of it in the stream.
Sue

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@sueinm Thanks so much for clarifying. I KNEW that meds had to be being wasted somehow and I always wondered if they were going to come up with something that would prevent that and VOILA! I mean it seemed to me that you were losing 50% of the meds on the blowing out part and the few seconds that you're not inhaling. Nan

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@nannette

@shooei I recently bought an Innospire Go and holy cow that thing is fast delivering the saline. It takes like five minutes. It's so fast that when I breathe through my mouth it makes me cough terribly because I've had a chronic cough for three years and the air stream is so fast that it tickle my throat is such a way that I can't do it SO I use the little mask thing that covers your nose and I breathe through my nose now. And then I switch it up sometimes and go back to my handy dandy Power Neb Ultra from Drive which, now compared to the Innospire is really slow but I feel like it might deliver the meds better. I don't know. I'm not a scientist. But I might look at the Pari Vios Pro with the Sprint nebulizer. And what is it about the new mouthpiece on the Sprint that you like? What does that expiration valve do? Nan

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Yes! It did that to me too, took me a bit to adjust to that air stream. I don't know about the meds either Nan, just how it makes me feel. I don't neb anything but saline. I never thought about trying the mask, but that is a good idea. I liked that the Sprint had that exhale valve so you don't waste meds during the exhale.

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@sueinmn

Nan- the valve closes on expiration to keep you from blowing the meds out the vent, so you get the full dose. The old valve caused loss of part of it in the stream.
Sue

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Hi @sueinmn
Do you know if I can attach an aerobika to a Pari Vios “go green”? I was wanting to check out new nebulizer, but need to attach the aerobika ! Thanks! Glenda

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@glendamoseley1

Hi @sueinmn
Do you know if I can attach an aerobika to a Pari Vios “go green”? I was wanting to check out new nebulizer, but need to attach the aerobika ! Thanks! Glenda

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Glenda - Yes, that's the one I use. Just put the Aerobika where the mouthpiece usually goes.
Sue

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@sueinmn

Glenda - Yes, that's the one I use. Just put the Aerobika where the mouthpiece usually goes.
Sue

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Thank you so much!

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@ thumperguy...Don, I've followed the same cleaning regimen and been free of MAC and infections for 6 years. The nebulizer with asthma meds takes almost 2 hours a day plus 2 more hours of postural drainage. I jumped back into real life too fast and was felled by major asthma attack. Don't give up the masks too soon! Back on steroids, can't get a member's comment, "I'd die before going on nebulizer..." out of my head. I have fun, meditation, me time during treatments. I was raised to think idleness is sinful, so the treatments are the first time I can relax and have fun without guilt. The drainage is miserable, so I listen to books on audio. Another pleasure.

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Where can one obtain 7%NaCl for nebulizing? No luck with local pharmacies.

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@egayle187

@ thumperguy...Don, I've followed the same cleaning regimen and been free of MAC and infections for 6 years. The nebulizer with asthma meds takes almost 2 hours a day plus 2 more hours of postural drainage. I jumped back into real life too fast and was felled by major asthma attack. Don't give up the masks too soon! Back on steroids, can't get a member's comment, "I'd die before going on nebulizer..." out of my head. I have fun, meditation, me time during treatments. I was raised to think idleness is sinful, so the treatments are the first time I can relax and have fun without guilt. The drainage is miserable, so I listen to books on audio. Another pleasure.

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Please share the cleaning regime using white vinegar.

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