I’ve been a bit lazy lately, not posted much but I am still reading quite often.
I’m in the middle of my second exacerbation of the year, and have been told today I have pleurisy (yet again) and the doc had a good listen to my chest and said it sounded like all my airways were swollen and squeaking. My COPD is both Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema, so I assume it’s to do with the latter of the two 🤔 Anyway, my wife has suggested that we buy our own nebuliser. You can get them for about £50 - as I don’t know anything about how they work what are your thoughts? 😊😊
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BrianTaylor
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Hello Brian, so nice to hear from you. Sorry you have another infection and pleurisy. You don’t do things by half.
Pete has a Pari boy turbo SX nebuliser and it’s really good. He uses ventolin to open up the airways and then mucoclear (saline) to help bring up the mucus. He then has ipotropium and pulmicourt (steroid) as prescribed but you would use what your doctor prescribed.
Has your doctor suggested a nebuliser? Do some research first and hope you feel better soon. Xxxx
Hi 😘 Hope you and Pete are well. I thought I was doing so well but have been in bed for the last week 😂 I think research is a good idea. I’ll bring it up with my doc and see what they think too x
I use saline in mine. It does shift the mucous. Pulmonary nurse said to use it when I have an exacerbation but I use it sometimes if I get more congested than usual.
Hi Brian. I don't know much about nebulisers but just wanted to say hello and sorry to hear you've been having a hard time of it. Wishing you a speedy bounce back. If there's anything you need that I can do as a relative local then please do let me know. xx
Try Lloyd's pharmacy they can be quiet cheap also remember your 20% off. Speak to your consultant about having one I got mine from the hospital with the medication to go with it.
My husband who has severe emphysema was prescribed a nebuliser by his consultant but he didn't like using it with either the Ventolin or saline. They work well for some people but not him.
Not surprised really as he doesn't find a Ventolin inhaler helpful either.
He was told and I've heard this from more than one medic that 10 puffs on a Ventolin inhaler from a spacer is the equivalent of using a nebuliser.
Hi Brian I have had my own nebuliser for some years I had one I kept in Arrica as I was a frequent traveller there and one at home I have now a more up to date one and I use it regularly. I find it very useful. I am also on home oxygen.
I bought my own nebuliser cost about £35 on the internet and it's the same as the one my GP practise uses. I found it invaluable at times ,when your chest is tight and it's hard to take a breath .I don't use it much these days since my op but I know it's there .Good luck I hope it helps you .
Blimey ! ... my one cost £90.00 - have I" Been done" ? - from an "official Company " .... ......it certainly helps , but you surprise me at that cost !! ....
I use a portable ultasonic nebuliser that I purchased on Ebay for about $25 and it has been really good for my lungs. The nebuliser is very effective at breaking up mucus trapped in your lungs. You can use saline or purified water with salt and it will help you breath better. I hope this helps.
Go to this website about Nebs etc, you can have it from Lloyds Pharmacy under prescription from your GP. Read all the info on the website. I got he Aerobika flutter and it has helped my lungs a lot to remove the mucus. They also have nebulisers.
Hope your health improves soon, it is not much fun feeling so low and down, but there is always help out there and in here from all those with COPD etc.
hi brian, i go for an annual review at my local surgery, i suffer with copd diagnosed 10 yr's ago, the last 3 year's breathing problem's have been getting worse, so at my annual review 3 year's ago, pulmonary nurse said i should be supplied with a nebuliser to use with saline+iptropium+atrovent neb's, and she would pass on her report to my gp, 2 cut a long story short he refused, this also happened 12 month's later on my next annual review, again he refused, last year i went on a pulmonary rehab course, at the end of the course, it was recomended, that a nebuliser would be beneficial 4 me , and they would contact my gp with the result's of my course and there recomendation's, 2 week's later i received a nebuliser from my local hospital, and my pulmonary came with the neb's next day and took me through how to use it, my gp was no help at all
Brian - the drugs used in them are bronchodilators in high dose. Not all COPD sufferers respond well to them and some have problems including an increased heart rate. It therefore might be better if you could have one on loan for a few weeks. The physiotherapists may be able to help you with this. If it helps then you need to speak to your gp about a prescription. It is very important to keep the equipment spotlessly clean because they can be reservoirs for infection so be aware that you will need to maintain a nebulizer.
Hi Brian my nebuliser I was given by my physio at hospital and salbutamol nebs I get on prescription from GP but I did go onto Amazon and bought a small neb for travelling that uses the same salbutamol nebs . I use mine 4 times a day when I have infection or exebation . Just be careful of your eyes I was warned about this by the nurse it can cause irritation I keep mine shut and give them a good rinse when I have finished. I really think it’s saved me a few hospital visits
Hope you get sorted before you buy check you can’t. Get it from the GP or the physio.
It never ceases to amaze me how even in our "So called" standardised NHS, ideas differ from on authority and even on individual to another.
While on my rehab course I had the chance to listen to a few respiratory nursing staff and their outlook on using high dose Ventolin through home Nebulisers. To a person they absolutely hated them, for the simple reason that an ampoules of Nebulised Ventolin is something like 50 times the dose than that taken by Ventolin inhaler. Subsequently they are finding that when someone arrives inA&E suffering an exacerbation, if they have home Nebulised on a regular basis, then the doctoring and nursing staff have no BIG guns left. ie High dose Nebulised Ventolin.
They all maintained that if home Nebs are used then he saline solution only should be used. And I even had a registrar explain to me one day that he would prefer if I ceased using it altogether because it could hav the effect of making my lungs wetter.
If there isn’t one already, it would be useful if the BLF could produce an up to date fact sheet on nebulizer therapy, including pros and cons.
It’s not a good idea for someone to buy one independent of medical advice because in the wrong hands they can be dangerous - thinking particularly of people with asthma who are liable to overdose rather than seek a medical opinion. This is one reason why some medical staff are reluctant to support their continued use. Also COPD sufferers who do not have much reversibility to bronchodilators will probably not benefit greatly by using a nebulizer. An inhaler and spacer is a good alternative.
For many bronchiectasis patients they can be a real boon, particularly when saline is used because it helps to shift the phlegm.
For anyone who is new to nebulizer therapy it is important to get the proper advice about how to use them correctly, particularly regarding accessories, hygiene, changing filter/tubing etc.
Hi, I have a nebuliser a Philips respironics bought new and a lot more than yours at £50.
Ideally it needs to be powerful enough so before you rush out & buy one make sure it will last you. They are a useful asset to have but ideally you should use them at least 4 times a day and you should get your GP to prescribe you with Salamol steri neb 2.5mg capsules. The sterile water capsules don't work anywhere near as good.
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