Need CFer advice...

[karon72]

Erin has never really had a baseline cough until the past 6 months. She started pulmozyme in March 2006 and has been doing GREAT (knock on wood). We are able to "catch" a flare-up it seems and do extra therapy/asthma action plan/preventative antibiotics. Well this has happened just a couple of times, but when her cough is starting to increase, she is more prone to gagging and vomits on occasion. But, it is not vomit...looks like clear phlegm and mucus. It happened this morning while she was doing the vest. I haven't changed the settings and she didn't eat before. Is this common? Are you nauseated after? Should I continue the vest treatment? She is only 5 and I sometimes has a hard time telling me how she is feeling. I want to be very thorough with her treatments, but don't want her to be uncomfortable.

Thanks for any advice/insight for what she might be feeling.

 

[karon72]

Erin has never really had a baseline cough until the past 6 months. She started pulmozyme in March 2006 and has been doing GREAT (knock on wood). We are able to "catch" a flare-up it seems and do extra therapy/asthma action plan/preventative antibiotics. Well this has happened just a couple of times, but when her cough is starting to increase, she is more prone to gagging and vomits on occasion. But, it is not vomit...looks like clear phlegm and mucus. It happened this morning while she was doing the vest. I haven't changed the settings and she didn't eat before. Is this common? Are you nauseated after? Should I continue the vest treatment? She is only 5 and I sometimes has a hard time telling me how she is feeling. I want to be very thorough with her treatments, but don't want her to be uncomfortable.

Thanks for any advice/insight for what she might be feeling.

 

[karon72]

Erin has never really had a baseline cough until the past 6 months. She started pulmozyme in March 2006 and has been doing GREAT (knock on wood). We are able to "catch" a flare-up it seems and do extra therapy/asthma action plan/preventative antibiotics. Well this has happened just a couple of times, but when her cough is starting to increase, she is more prone to gagging and vomits on occasion. But, it is not vomit...looks like clear phlegm and mucus. It happened this morning while she was doing the vest. I haven't changed the settings and she didn't eat before. Is this common? Are you nauseated after? Should I continue the vest treatment? She is only 5 and I sometimes has a hard time telling me how she is feeling. I want to be very thorough with her treatments, but don't want her to be uncomfortable.

Thanks for any advice/insight for what she might be feeling.

 

[Scarlett81]

Since I am pregnant I have been having trouble vomiting with my treatments too-esp since the hyp saline makes me cough so hard.
Maybe she should eat a little something before therapy-I mean a teeny something. I've found if I have 2 or 3 crackers or light cookies it keeps the acid in my stomach at bay during therapy and I don't have that urge to gag so much. If it looks like clear phlegm it might be light phlegm that dripped into her stomach during the night, or it could just be saliva or light stomach acid.
I would try this and keep trying things till it gets better, since she can't really tell you exactly how she feels.

 

[Scarlett81]

Since I am pregnant I have been having trouble vomiting with my treatments too-esp since the hyp saline makes me cough so hard.
Maybe she should eat a little something before therapy-I mean a teeny something. I've found if I have 2 or 3 crackers or light cookies it keeps the acid in my stomach at bay during therapy and I don't have that urge to gag so much. If it looks like clear phlegm it might be light phlegm that dripped into her stomach during the night, or it could just be saliva or light stomach acid.
I would try this and keep trying things till it gets better, since she can't really tell you exactly how she feels.

 

[Scarlett81]

Since I am pregnant I have been having trouble vomiting with my treatments too-esp since the hyp saline makes me cough so hard.
Maybe she should eat a little something before therapy-I mean a teeny something. I've found if I have 2 or 3 crackers or light cookies it keeps the acid in my stomach at bay during therapy and I don't have that urge to gag so much. If it looks like clear phlegm it might be light phlegm that dripped into her stomach during the night, or it could just be saliva or light stomach acid.
I would try this and keep trying things till it gets better, since she can't really tell you exactly how she feels.

 

[Emily65Roses]

Try crackers, try food, try whatever. But unfortunately, discomfort is something she'll have to get used to. Therapy is never fun. It hurts, it tires you out, it makes you gag, spit, puke... But it's necessary. *shrug* There's just not a world of things you can do about it.

 

[Emily65Roses]

Try crackers, try food, try whatever. But unfortunately, discomfort is something she'll have to get used to. Therapy is never fun. It hurts, it tires you out, it makes you gag, spit, puke... But it's necessary. *shrug* There's just not a world of things you can do about it.

 

[Emily65Roses]

Try crackers, try food, try whatever. But unfortunately, discomfort is something she'll have to get used to. Therapy is never fun. It hurts, it tires you out, it makes you gag, spit, puke... But it's necessary. *shrug* There's just not a world of things you can do about it.

 

[lightNlife]

"Tossing cookies" when coughing from a treatment is an indication that you're not coughing correctly. It's caused by over-working the trachea when coughing so hard. Since the trachea is right up against the esophagus, the esophagus can "freak out" a bit when the trachea is spasming so violently. Think of it as being similar to the feeling you get when you're stopped at a traffic light, and the car next to you has their bass boost turned WAY up and is causing your own car to vibrate and pound in response. Be sure to cough from the gut--the diaphragm and not from your chest and shoulders. Also, if at all possible, try to cough methodically and take in enough air as you go rather than just cough-cough-cough-cough-coughing. I know that's hard to actually put into practice, but it helps.

 

[lightNlife]

"Tossing cookies" when coughing from a treatment is an indication that you're not coughing correctly. It's caused by over-working the trachea when coughing so hard. Since the trachea is right up against the esophagus, the esophagus can "freak out" a bit when the trachea is spasming so violently. Think of it as being similar to the feeling you get when you're stopped at a traffic light, and the car next to you has their bass boost turned WAY up and is causing your own car to vibrate and pound in response. Be sure to cough from the gut--the diaphragm and not from your chest and shoulders. Also, if at all possible, try to cough methodically and take in enough air as you go rather than just cough-cough-cough-cough-coughing. I know that's hard to actually put into practice, but it helps.

 

[lightNlife]

"Tossing cookies" when coughing from a treatment is an indication that you're not coughing correctly. It's caused by over-working the trachea when coughing so hard. Since the trachea is right up against the esophagus, the esophagus can "freak out" a bit when the trachea is spasming so violently. Think of it as being similar to the feeling you get when you're stopped at a traffic light, and the car next to you has their bass boost turned WAY up and is causing your own car to vibrate and pound in response. Be sure to cough from the gut--the diaphragm and not from your chest and shoulders. Also, if at all possible, try to cough methodically and take in enough air as you go rather than just cough-cough-cough-cough-coughing. I know that's hard to actually put into practice, but it helps.

 

[JazzysMom]

I totally agree with lightNlife. The therapists at the hospital always tell me to breath when I start gagging or getting that tickle in the throat unproductive want to vomit cough. Breathing & sips of water........

 

[JazzysMom]

I totally agree with lightNlife. The therapists at the hospital always tell me to breath when I start gagging or getting that tickle in the throat unproductive want to vomit cough. Breathing & sips of water........

 

[JazzysMom]

I totally agree with lightNlife. The therapists at the hospital always tell me to breath when I start gagging or getting that tickle in the throat unproductive want to vomit cough. Breathing & sips of water........

 

[NoExcuses]

i don't know if this is relevant or not but prior to getting my allergies under control, i would have coughing spasms. i would cough so hard that i would throw up. and throw up. and throw up.

bronchospasm they called it.

the force from the puking was so much i would often blow my nose and lettuce from lunch would come up. it was just horrible and i had no idea how to stop it. it was a dry cough, not much sputum, but my doc tried to treat it as CF anyway.

it wasn't CF. it was allergies.

i went through extensive allergy testing (not blood IgE levels but 16 hours of testing over 2 days), went on allergy shots, went on an anti-histamine (histamines are the main mediator of the allergic cascade), got two air purifiers for my apartment, and put dust mite encasings on my pillows & matrress.

it's been 3 years since i've had my episodes of coughing so hard that I throw up. and i'm so grateful for it - it took so much out of me and made it difficult to be in class or to work like a normal person.

oh yes one thing I forgot to add - something that I later found out that helped was drinking anything hot. it didn't take away the coughing spasm totaly but it helped me get on top of it.

 

[NoExcuses]

i don't know if this is relevant or not but prior to getting my allergies under control, i would have coughing spasms. i would cough so hard that i would throw up. and throw up. and throw up.

bronchospasm they called it.

the force from the puking was so much i would often blow my nose and lettuce from lunch would come up. it was just horrible and i had no idea how to stop it. it was a dry cough, not much sputum, but my doc tried to treat it as CF anyway.

it wasn't CF. it was allergies.

i went through extensive allergy testing (not blood IgE levels but 16 hours of testing over 2 days), went on allergy shots, went on an anti-histamine (histamines are the main mediator of the allergic cascade), got two air purifiers for my apartment, and put dust mite encasings on my pillows & matrress.

it's been 3 years since i've had my episodes of coughing so hard that I throw up. and i'm so grateful for it - it took so much out of me and made it difficult to be in class or to work like a normal person.

oh yes one thing I forgot to add - something that I later found out that helped was drinking anything hot. it didn't take away the coughing spasm totaly but it helped me get on top of it.

 

[NoExcuses]

i don't know if this is relevant or not but prior to getting my allergies under control, i would have coughing spasms. i would cough so hard that i would throw up. and throw up. and throw up.

bronchospasm they called it.

the force from the puking was so much i would often blow my nose and lettuce from lunch would come up. it was just horrible and i had no idea how to stop it. it was a dry cough, not much sputum, but my doc tried to treat it as CF anyway.

it wasn't CF. it was allergies.

i went through extensive allergy testing (not blood IgE levels but 16 hours of testing over 2 days), went on allergy shots, went on an anti-histamine (histamines are the main mediator of the allergic cascade), got two air purifiers for my apartment, and put dust mite encasings on my pillows & matrress.

it's been 3 years since i've had my episodes of coughing so hard that I throw up. and i'm so grateful for it - it took so much out of me and made it difficult to be in class or to work like a normal person.

oh yes one thing I forgot to add - something that I later found out that helped was drinking anything hot. it didn't take away the coughing spasm totaly but it helped me get on top of it.

 

[coltsfan715]

I also get this when I am really congested or sick and I do treatments and therapies. For me it happens when I cough cough cough cough cough and have a hard time stopping. I find that if I am able to stop coughing and take as deep a breath as possible in through my nose and to breath out through my mouth slowly it helps calm me down and alleviate the vomitting feeling.

Also a thought - when your daughter starts to cough - do you stop the vest therapy or let it continue. If you let the vest keep going maybe try to stop the shaking/percussing while she is coughing. That may help her get stuff up but not cause her to cough even harder. Just a thought. I know I have to stop all therapy when I start to cough or I can't breathe well and I start to get the "I'm going to vomit" feeling.

I have gotten this a few times due to post nasal drip caused by allergies - where you are coughing really hard to get stuff up that really isn't there - it is just a tickle from post nasal drip. Like Amy said that is an allergy thing (for me anyway) - I typically get that more when I am having bad allergy days.

Take Care,
Lindsey

 

[coltsfan715]

I also get this when I am really congested or sick and I do treatments and therapies. For me it happens when I cough cough cough cough cough and have a hard time stopping. I find that if I am able to stop coughing and take as deep a breath as possible in through my nose and to breath out through my mouth slowly it helps calm me down and alleviate the vomitting feeling.

Also a thought - when your daughter starts to cough - do you stop the vest therapy or let it continue. If you let the vest keep going maybe try to stop the shaking/percussing while she is coughing. That may help her get stuff up but not cause her to cough even harder. Just a thought. I know I have to stop all therapy when I start to cough or I can't breathe well and I start to get the "I'm going to vomit" feeling.

I have gotten this a few times due to post nasal drip caused by allergies - where you are coughing really hard to get stuff up that really isn't there - it is just a tickle from post nasal drip. Like Amy said that is an allergy thing (for me anyway) - I typically get that more when I am having bad allergy days.

Take Care,
Lindsey