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Do You Feel Your Vest Helps Or Not?
I was recently prescribed a vest about a month or so ago. It's a Hillrom Baxter vest and the respiratory therapist came out to show me how to use it. I've been using it every day now for two 20 minute sessions morning and night, however I haven't really felt any benefit. I nebulize with 7% saline first and am able to cough up some mucus during those sessions but then when I put the vest on afterward, it just oscillates away and nothing happens. No coughing, nothing. I continue to use it because I think maybe it's doing something but I just don't know.
Anyone else use a Hillrom Baxter vest and feel that it works and if so, any suggestions on maximizing effectiveness? My vest is set at 10. Maybe I need to up the setting?
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@spider109 So you actually lie down while wearing the vest? How does that work when the vest puffs up? It doesn't compress it? Thanks for your response.
@linda1334 my vest is the afflo vest. This particular vest does not inflate/deflate, there are components in them that target specific areas of the chest front and back that have motion motors in them that either do percussion, vibration, or drainage. With low, medium, & high choices for intensity. Usually the Doctor will tell the distributor the desired setting and intensity wanted for the patient.
@linda1334
When the respiratory therapist came to help me to set it up. He asked me to say something while using it to test if my voice was shaking. I think that is the way to test if you are in the right pressure range.
Hope this helps.
Ling
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1 Reaction@wangling Thanks for that tip, it's very helpful. And yes, my voice most definitely shakes if I try to talk. It's very hard to talk with it on so I must have it set in the correct range.
@spider109 My vest inflates all around so it wouldn't be possible to lay down with it on. I can't even lean back in the chair with it on or the back won't inflate correctly. So I guess I'll just have to hope that it's doing something in the long run.
@linda1334
I have found that I get more from the vest when I get on my knees and lower my chest so that I’m resting on my elbows and forearms. I do the vest for 15 min total starting in seated position and do last 5 min in a more prone position. Then I use the Aerobika.