Breathing exercise gadgets?

I do not have the issue you have but I do have COPD with asthma, emphysema and bronchiectasis along with some other health issues. I bought something like the photo below. It had helped me to clear mucous out of my lungs.

I pirchased different one The Breather from Amazon.

I think thr best thing to do is to speak with your pulmonologist. I spoke with mine prior to purchasing The Breather. I was on o2 at the time post covid and have asthma at a baseline.

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking the same thing about talking to my pulmonologist first. I'll check into the one you purchased too. At least I'll have a little more knowledge about what's available. Sometimes I feel like all I do is look things up on the internet about my health issues. It would be nice to think of something else for a while. Thanks again!

Yet another great opportunity to strenthen relationship with your pulmonologist 🙂

Absolutely!👍

To each of you who is considering purchase of a breathing exerciser, here are a few considerations:

What are you trying to accomplish? Deeper inhalation, full exhalation or both? Or clearing persistent mucus, congestion or rattles? Do you have underlying lung conditions? Asthma, COPD, Emphysema, Bronchiectasis, Pulmonary fibrosis...

Each of these situations may require a different type of device. You need to consult with your pulmonologist or other provider.

Do you get frequent colds, viruses, pneumonia, bronchitis or sinus infections?

All breathing devices need to be regularly and thoroughly cleaned because with every breath you are depositing warm, moist air as well as any germs you have in your system. Atmospheric bugs from inhaling through the device add to the mix. Mere rinsing, or even washing in dish soap is not enough to kill the most persistent of these. So you need a device which can be disinfected thoroughly at east once a week. If you have underlying conditions, or frequent infections, you may need to follow a more rigorous disinfecting routine. (By the way, this applies to inhaler housings, spacers, nebulizer cups & mouthpieces and CPAP masks - each has a recommended cleaning and disinfection routine. Or, if disposable, a number of days to use.)

Or you can elect to use no device, and go with breathing exercises. Here is just one example from the Lung Association:
https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/wellness/breathing-exercises

Whatever you decide, kudos for being proactive about improving your health!
Sue

Thanks for the info. I'm planning on mentioning it to my pulmonologist and see what she thinks. When I went to pulmonary rehab I asked the therapist if I should use a spirometer to see if that would help. He didn't think it would help much. I have pulmonary fibrosis but I'm not on oxygen. I may start Ofev at some point but would rather do more drug free options.
Thanks for your response.

I recommend the yoga breathing class. You can do it by zoom from Mayo. My pulmonary function test showed better breathing after I took this class.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out!

One time when in the hospital my pulmonologist gave me a device called Aerobika. Hand held device to use when lungs get plugged up with yuck. I still use it. Helps alot. Makes me slow down breathing.