Vest Compliance

[anonymous]

I am usully quite bad with my airway clearance. i tend to go on IV's once every 3-4 mos. i find that when i come off of ivs im very "dried out" or tight i guess although i woulnt say i feel tight
before i know it im gettin infected again and having hymoptisis
if i do my vest for the fist fews days i feel like total crap worse than i did if i just let it sit
i usually give up after a few days of vest and then it slowly gets worse

does anyone else experience feeling worse after doing the vest (increased cough, choky, and just plin feeling horrible. does this feeling eventually go away if your good about doing the vest. ive never seen the light at the end of the tunnel. the vest makes me junky and makes me cough more. id almost rather be tight and not cough as much.
is it the type of thing where if you do the vest you will eventually empty out?
and does anyone know roughly how much sputum is created in any given day (assuming when you healthy)?

i just dislike the vest or any mucus claerance for all of these reason and dispite my brian i remain stubborn because it feels like im heathier (in the short term) to do it my way
anyone else feel the same?

 

[Emily65Roses]

Well I hated the Vest and used it for all of about a week before we had the company remove it from my house. But I hate most of the new airway clearance devices. The Flutter and Acapella both give me this horrendous dry cough that exhausts me, but makes no progress in getting the crap out of my lungs. The docs keep asking me to use them, and I've given the Acapella (their newest suggestion) several tries. But I hate it, it doesn't work, and I don't use it. The best form of airway clearance for me has always been manual, and it still is. I can feel that working. Since Mike started beating me every night, I'm actually getting solid chunks up instead of just gallons of that liquidy stuff. Mind you, I'm also getting a lot of liquid, but my point was that I'm getting solid stuff too. The docs don't like it because I have to rely on someone else, and during the school year I'm only home for Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening, so Mon-Wed gets skipped. But I'd rather have a form that works for me done half the time... than a form I hate that doesn't work done all the time. I hear you though, I really hate most of the airway clearance thingies they have out there.

 

[WinAce]

What settings have you folks tried? Perhaps there's some that are more helpful than others. That's certainly the case with me...

 

[Emily65Roses]

The Vest for me wasn't the same as the Flutter and the Acapella. It worked (I think - it was whenever the thing first came out, so it was a few years ago and I don't remember exactly), but wasn't worth it for me because whoever invented it never accounted for boobs (OUCH!). Also, I was always nauseated afterwards. And now I'm nauseated a lot easier than I was when I was younger because of the coughing fits turned gagging turned vomiting. The Flutter and Acapella were the only ones that I hated because they made my cough useless. Hehe.

 

[JazzysMom]

I have had the vest for about 5 years. Out of those 5 years this is the first year I have used it faithfully. Compared to manual clapping it sucks, but I have learned how to make it work for me. I adjust the controls to how I feel for the day. Sometimes for various reasons my body cant handle the higher frequencies or the normal length of times yet other times it doesnt bother me. We also found out after my May admission that my airways are extremely sensitive to spasms & will close down if things arent just right with the settings. This is why the frequencies vary according to how I feel. I also have the flutter, but havent really put my heart into using it. I was having problems getting the hang of the right position & put it away. I havent tried it in months. Ideally if I had the time I would prefer manual clapping for every treatment. For me that isnt practical so I do what I can with the vest. I never will be as cleaned out with it that I am with manual, but..........

 

[miesl]

Anon poster - do you do any nebulized treatments along with your vest?

It sounds like the vest is working - you feel "junky" - which seems to me like it's loosened the mucus. Before Jeremy does his vest, he tends to sound ok, but his breathing is more shallow with a little bit of crackling. However, right after a vest - he sounds very crackly. After he does some coughing - he tends to breathe deeper and has a clearer sound. The key after the mucus has loosened is to make yourself cough. The vest loosens the mucus, making it easier to cough up. It's also advised that coughing is done between frequency settings.

While I can't speak from personal experience... he looks tired after he does a vest therapy. However, he feels much better after a bit of rest when he's done coughing crap up.

"is it the type of thing where if you do the vest you will eventually empty out?"
No. The vest needs to be done X number of times daily in order to keep you cleaned out. Your body continuously produces 'mucus' - so it must be done regularly to keep you healthy. The more mucus you have -> more breeding ground there is for bacteria, the more bacteria -> more inflammation, more inflammation -> more 'mucus'... It's a nasty cycle.

"does anyone know roughly how much sputum is created in any given day (assuming when you healthy)?"
It's different for everyone

 

[anonymous]

usually right before i do a treatment but i have done them during the vest cycle as well

 

[anonymous]

If you don't like your devices and you're healthy enough to do it, try 500 jumping jacks instead. It will give you some cardio and definitely clean out your lungs. But obviously, be a good judge of your own ability to do this. You'll cough a lot, but it will clean you out.

 

[nobody]

I find that using positions (like with a flutter) brings up more mucus than just autogenic while using my vest. I now travel 90+ mile to get to work (hopefully short-lived) and use the vest more than before. As has been said, its not as good as manual - but something is better than nothing. . .
-steve

 

[shamrock]

Well has anybody tried using the Acapella with ventolin? Its new round here, but you can attach a tube thing to the acapeela so what you breathe in is ventolin. I've heard it has really helped. I have yet to be showen how it works but i look forward to learning!

 

[anonymous]

I don't do the Vest, I have one but it's huge waste of time. I do autogenic drainage in the shower once to twice a day, workout up to two hours a day and take 30-40 block walks about twice a week. I understand doing autogenic sucks, and not everyone has the energy to go to the gym/do cardio/or even walk a few blocks... I don't do nebulizers, either. I do four inhalers several times a day. I don't think that Vest helps much, I hate doing pep and the Acapella didn't work, Pulmozyme hasn't really ever helped. When I get really "clogged" up, I do IPV twice a day until I have hemoptysis, and a week or two of Tobi. So, the point is... I hate doing treatments, but I still do a lot of hard work to keep my lungs cleared. My lung functions are consistently in the 45-50%... And my docs have told me that they're happy with my "treatments".

-Melanie
aka rotandroll
22 CF CFRD

 

[WinAce]

<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>If you don't like your devices and you're healthy enough to do it, try 500 jumping jacks instead. It will give you some cardio and definitely clean out your lungs.<hr></blockquote>

Interesting. Is there any clinical study you got that from? Walking rapidly on a treadmill (in the 2.5 to 3.5 speed range) used to be more effective for me than any treatment in getting that crap up, but recently I haven't noticed anything except exhaustion from it. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">