How to pack cleaned Nebulizer equipment and Aerobeka while on a trip

Posted by muon @muon, Apr 2, 2023

I have to be on the road early and after treatment and cleaning, there will not be enough time to air dry my equipment. Are there any suggestions. I nebulize with an aerobeka 2X day.

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@muon

Thanks Kwi. My understanding is that you cannot place the neb cups nor aerobika directly in a boiling pot because if it touches the bottom of the hot pan it may melt. Do you use some sort of strainer suspend the neb stuff in the hot pot?

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Thanks for the suggestions for a travel kit; I will be putting one together as well.

Re; sterilizing - I bought one of those collapsible boiling pots after reading about it here or on a NTM facebook group. They are pretty compact and boil equipment in much the same way that a regular pot does. This one has sort of a silicone (food grade) insert that keeps the everything off the bottom of the pot. I have tried it at home and it seems to work well. I have microwaveable bags but they have time limits of a few minutes and I’m guessing that is enough for baby bottle parts but not sure about mac - I plan to take them as a backup though.

I was also concerned about water sources. I bought a Lifestraw gravity water filter system, which advertises that it filters water in the same way as the pitcher and water bottle do. It is lightweight and easy to pack and has a bladder type container that holds 3 litres of water when filled.

Before I was diagnosed with Mac, my husband and I backpacked and walked on Caminos where we carry everything in our backpacks for 6+ weeks. Our trip this spring is partly an experiment to see what I need to take and how well it all works, how to pack lightly, etc. to avoid compromising airway clearance and stay stable while we travel.

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@muon

Thanks Kwi. My understanding is that you cannot place the neb cups nor aerobika directly in a boiling pot because if it touches the bottom of the hot pan it may melt. Do you use some sort of strainer suspend the neb stuff in the hot pot?

Jump to this post

I do place my neb cups and Aerobika directly in the boiling pot without a strainer at home. I use an electric ramen pot recommended by another. You don’t want to use a shallow pot. I don’t put the parts in until the water is boiling and then I set a timer for 10 minutes.

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@kathyhg

Thanks for the suggestions for a travel kit; I will be putting one together as well.

Re; sterilizing - I bought one of those collapsible boiling pots after reading about it here or on a NTM facebook group. They are pretty compact and boil equipment in much the same way that a regular pot does. This one has sort of a silicone (food grade) insert that keeps the everything off the bottom of the pot. I have tried it at home and it seems to work well. I have microwaveable bags but they have time limits of a few minutes and I’m guessing that is enough for baby bottle parts but not sure about mac - I plan to take them as a backup though.

I was also concerned about water sources. I bought a Lifestraw gravity water filter system, which advertises that it filters water in the same way as the pitcher and water bottle do. It is lightweight and easy to pack and has a bladder type container that holds 3 litres of water when filled.

Before I was diagnosed with Mac, my husband and I backpacked and walked on Caminos where we carry everything in our backpacks for 6+ weeks. Our trip this spring is partly an experiment to see what I need to take and how well it all works, how to pack lightly, etc. to avoid compromising airway clearance and stay stable while we travel.

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Thank again Kathy. This is good information and I will order one of those collapsible boiling pots. Good idea about the water sources. Hope the spring trip gives you some new ideas.

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Hi Sally,

It was suggested to me to get one of those collapsible boiling pots, which I will try. I guess you would have to determine if the voltage needs to be adjusted. I am going to do a trial run for that in a few weeks.

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@sueinmn

@muon Welcome to Mayo Connect. I'm glad you are committed to keeping up your routine while you travel.
This is what I do - I have a "travel kit" that includes a small sealable container (about 1/2 quart), a tiny bottle of detergent, and a ziploc baggie of folded paper towels, all sealed in a gallon ziploc with my handheld neb & my saline & levalbuterol. After nebbing, I use the container to soak & wash my Aerobika & nebulizer mouthpiece, shake them as dry as possible and place on a dry paper towel. Then rinse & dry the container, line it with a dry paper towel and seal my Aerobika & mouthpiece in it. When I arrive at my next destination, the first thing I do is take them out, rinse & place on a clean paper towel to dry. This method has served me well for about 5 years, and we travel often.
Do you think this could work for you?

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If I am going on a trip for two weeks, how would one sterilize without access to a microwave or boiling pot?

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@sallyb827

If I am going on a trip for two weeks, how would one sterilize without access to a microwave or boiling pot?

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Can you tell us how/where you will be traveling and where you will be staying? I bet someone here will have a good suggestion!
Sue

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@sueinmn

Can you tell us how/where you will be traveling and where you will be staying? I bet someone here will have a good suggestion!
Sue

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I will be on a tour of England, Scotland, and Wales.

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Some hotels will provide a small microwave in the room
Just make sure you know the wattage to use the correct time.
If not , you might be able to ask for access to the kitchen
Also, if you wash in soapy water and air dry you don’t need to sterilize daily
Safe travels!

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@sallyb827

I will be on a tour of England, Scotland, and Wales.

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Can you carry a collapsible boiling pot like other here have mentioned? You will just need an adapter to use it. Ask your tour operator for advice.
Sue

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@sueinmn

Can you carry a collapsible boiling pot like other here have mentioned? You will just need an adapter to use it. Ask your tour operator for advice.
Sue

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Thank you for your help!

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