How to time airway clearance after eating/drinking?

Kathy I only use distilled water. I have the Waterpik Cordless Advanced Water Flosser. Had the same unit previously but made the mistake of boiling the reservoir in hot water which warped it. So now clean with white vinegar water as described in this youtube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzOoc2_tzeY Bill

Sue,
Thank you for your reaffirming reply. I believe that, if one is unhappy or angry regarding the time spent on airway clearance and has to skip parts of their life that they enjoy, the detriment to our health is greater than not having done airway clearance.
My two cents.
Sally

poodledoc. Thanks for that nugget. I'd never thought of inhaling leftover food in my teeth. It is amazing what I spit out with just taking a mouth full of water, swishing it around and spitting out. Seems we learn more each day.

When you actually think about it, the risk of inhaling a food particle also exists when you just breath through your mouth (while exercising or sleeping or doing whatever). When I use the nebulizer my teeth and mouth are closed tightly around the mouthpiece and I don't see how food can get through that space very easily. On reflection I don't think it is a huge worry otherwise aspiration pneumonia would be more common among nebulizer users and mouth breathers. Maybe I'm naive.

Keeping our teeth and mouth clean are very important with MAC. I use my Waterpik daily with Spring water that Dr. Falkinham tested (Crystal Geyser Alpine Spring Water or Pure Life without boiling). I clean the parts of the Waterpik with vinegar and water. It is no different than cleaning all of our other nebulizing and air clearance parts.

I have had the same problem daily, We have to breath, and when I try to eat meals and a regular time and go to bed at a decent bedtime, I am not able to work it all in. I am usually up until after midnight with boiling water, cleaning equipment etc. I just can't work it all in and get enough sleep.

I am unable to get any mucus up in the morning whether I try before breakfast or after breakfast. Could it be that I am too dehydrated in the morning?

Thanks for posting this question. I'm grateful for all of the rich sharing.

My morning routine starts with daily meditation, then yoga, then my neb with saline. All 3 are best on an empty stomach, so I eat breakfast afterwards.

I rarely do a second neb, but sometimes I do multiple vials of saline in the morning. It can take awhile to get the little mucus plugs to come up. But when they do, I feel victorious.

The biggest trigger for me with aspiration is eating or drinking too much all at once. I have a hard time grazing and eating small meals. I'm working on it.

My doc wants me to gain weight as I lost a lot of muscle tone after skipping yoga for a time due to a flare-up followed by a shoulder injury. I'm happy to be regaining strength and feeling energized again.

Other than MAC, GERD, and Bronchiectasis, I'm super healthy and active. LOL My pulmonologist told me years ago that I'm doing more with lifestyle than they can do with western medicine, so I carry on.

Doing my best to be mindful about how I eat, exercise, and manage stress is key is to living a joyful, happy life.

Sue- In February of 2023 you stated " My bronch has not progressed for 5 years". How are you doing today??? Hope all is still good.
Also, when you do air way clearance do you bring up some clear/white "mucus" and some colored. This may be hard to answer, however, do you average a certain amount of colored "mucus" in a day. I ask because I wonder if a few colored "mucus" plugs in a day is what we should expect or is it too much and it might be getting worse or is too little of an amount???? However, my worst problem at this point in time is the constant needing to clear my throat. No other symptoms that would indicate an exacerbation and pray that after two years of being finally diagonsed it doesn't get worse.

@amyblossoms it sounds like you are aware when you are aspirating. How do you know? My doctors suspect my bronchiectasis may be aspiration-related but I'm not conscious of aspirating.

I appreciate this thread, I have the same challenge & was going to post the same question about how to time it all - I now have MAC & I know airway clearance 2x/day is important.