Hi Irene, The Pari Vios works well for me. It is the first neb I've used besides the one I received through Kaiser. The mist coming from the Pari is much more powerful. The only trouble I am having is, I bought new wing tip replacement tubing and, for the life of me, I cannot get the old tubing off the compressor I am going to call Pari today to hopefully get some good advice.
As for the manuka honey, I mostly take it when I am coughing a lot in the evening and know I am going to have a problem with sleep. I will take about a 1/2 teaspoon before bed (or if I have a cough attack in the middle of the night, I'll get up and have it). I am not saying it will work the same for everyone but, for me, it is soothing and helps calm the cough down.
Also, I am a performer and have found having a cup of lemon ginger tea with a generous scoop (about 1 full tsp +) taken before showtime has been working well. Thank goodness! I did not cough once during the past 2 shows! So, I reserve it for times when the cough is active and I use it as a preventative measure (before a show or meeting). It is quite yummy too. I understand your concern about being pre diabetic. Perhaps you can ask your dr if it would be ok to use sparingly. Best of luck to you!