3% Saline vs. 7% for Nebulizing

That is a very interesting statement from your RT. Because that’s exactly how my nebbing 7% saline seems to act like it’s a delayed response. Sometimes up to 1 hour. Is your respiratory therapist pretty reputable? And from a reputable medical facility? Please I’m not judging him/her just wondering what there education and work experience is. Thank-you.

Dr Pamela McShane said the same thing in her recent Webinar about Airway Clearance:

I find the same to be true - I use the inhaler and/or neb the take a brisk walk or do Yoga. Halfway through exercise, out comes the mucus!

Yes Sue me also!!! I do have a vest also, I use while nebbing and it works some better than the Areobika. But I definitely find a delay in my mucus expelling after the Saline mine is usually up to 1-2 hours but I’ll take it!!! Anything that helps. I just posted a new discussion, I’m currently experiencing hearing loss Post Covid, have you heard of that? Please read my post when you can and give me your thoughts on the subject or experience. Your advice & knowledge is always helpful.

Dr. Winthrop at OHSU also told me to use the Aerobika after nebulizing saline, which I do, about an hour before taking a 2 mile walk. I find that 1/2 hour to an hour after the brisk walk I cough up the clumpiest mucus.
Anna

good morning I am also dealing with a Mac infection and I’ve been using the big three for about three weeks now I have not started nebulizing. I have a message into my infectious disease doctor and pulmonologist. Is this a prescription to nebulize or is it something you find yourself, they never mentioned it to me so I found this information on this website. I am curious thank you so much and good luck with your treatments.

Both compressor and nebulizer can be purchased without a prescription (not everywhere but many places). What requires a prescription is the inhaled saline, 3% or 7%, although people here have purchased saline through Amazon without a script. It's more expensive that way rather than through CVS, Walgreens etc.

Here are some links to get your started:
https://www.saveritemedical.com/products/ombra-120v-table-top-nebulizer-compressor-system
https://bronchiectasis.com.au/physiotherapy
Many pulmonologists are not well versed in MAC or bronchiectasis and thus do no not mention airway clearance, however, it's the gold standard for treating bronchiectasis. There's A LOT of info on these threads worthwhile reading.

I hope this is somewhat helpful.

After nebulizing And aerobika but before you take a walk, do you have breakfast? What kind of airway clearing do you do to cough the mucus after the walk?

Yes. I have breakfast, then 30-45 minutes on a daily poetry/spirituality phone call, then the walk. I have not been doing any particular airway clearance after the walk just coughing, huffing and spitting. I have been thinking that using Aerobika again at that time might be helpful, but have not tried it yet. Coughing seems very effective.

Thank you. I will try it today-

I was told to do airway clearance first thing in the morning and before bed. I don't produce much mucus when doing my acapella and felt like I was trying too hard and was going to hurt my lungs with a hard huff cough. I have been doing it like that for over 2 years and was told it’s okay. Now they want me to try nebulizing with albuterol, then saline and then Aerobika. All of the sudden it seems like a lot. I’ve been looking at posts here and watching videos to know how to do all this new stuff.
In reading the Aerobika it instructs to breathe in thru the devise and out, I never breathed into Acappela, just out… Do others breathe in and out Aerobika or just out? Also, I was wondering if I can rinse my neb and aerobika parts in distilled water or is it better to use boiled rinse water. I was never too concerned because I never breathed in on anything before.