Saline in a nebuliser

[valm]

Anyone use saline in their nebuliser? Does it help your breathing? Many thanks Val

[lescudjack]

Whenever my chest is congested I have a nebulizer with saline - loosens it up and clears it most times for me.

[valm in reply to lescudjack]

Many thanks the hospital wants be to go back to try it first but the 02 nurse is on holiday so will have to wait until she returns Val

[Bingomary1 in reply to lescudjack]

is it saline water can u buy it

[lescudjack in reply to Bingomary1]

You must have a nebuliser to deliver this medication. In the U.K. I believe you will need a doctors prescription for Saline 0.9% nebuliser liquid 2.5ml Steri-Neb unit dose

mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/spc...

[swiftarrow in reply to lescudjack]

you do not need a prescription for saline for nebuliser tesco sell it at pharmacy about nine pounds for 20 little capsules.

[Chrissy1992 in reply to lescudjack]

Where can you buy silne water

[valm]

New consultant said I need test 30 - 40 minutes? You tell me, many thanks Val

[EmmyH]

Hypertonic saline - very salty - brilliant stuff! I have bronchiectasis and use hs nebs daily to help clear my lungs of phlegm. It works by osmosis - drawing fluid into the lungs which loosens phlegm and makes it much easier to remove with breathing exercises from your physio.

I had to have a supervised session first, too. In some people the saline can irritate the airways and cause constriction, so best to check it out and be on the safe side.

[valm in reply to EmmyH]

Many thanks EmmyH told him today I wanted to go back to work but at the minute my breathing is just to bad. So he's sorting saline, then Blood gases to check oxygen levels ? increase 02, and antifungal meds so hopefully they will improve my breathing. ( I do hope so ) Val

[richardcrossroads in reply to EmmyH]

hello thank you for that, i ask my GP for hyper-tonic saline and they knew nothing about it neither did the chest specialist and so would not prescribe, they did nebules of hypo tonic saline though and that works OK so hyper tonic should work really well just like a salt cave

thanks

[godfreyscott]

Always have saline mixed with ventolin nebules in my nebuliser, works very well to bring up the mucus

[valm in reply to godfreyscott]

Thank you Val

[ingy in reply to godfreyscott]

Do you actually put them in together? My resp nurse said not to take them at the same time, but it would be easier to take together.

[2jenanne6 in reply to godfreyscott]

Thanks I have just started to use saline only in nebuliser instead of salbutamol solution as my problem is phelm in throat that I cant seem to clear after numerous chest inf so glad to know it works so hope it will for mee too

[Hidden]

Hi Val - so glad to see you are still with us I was worried when you seemed to have 'disappeared' this morning and would have liked to wish you well for your appointment. Happy to hear that you are to have your ABG's done and try a nebuliser etc. A pity they always take so long about everything though - we seem to have appointments just to make more appointments sometimes don't we! Still, so long as they 'come up with the goods' it will all be worthwhile. Take care Val - and no rushing back to work now! Parvati x

[valm]

Thanks Parvati, was a bit worried about you also hope your oedema is settling. He said it was ok to up the oxygen to be honest at times really struggling especially in the evening! May be because I am tired just not sure, one step forward two back one appointment down one to go at the Freeman tomorrow will have to leave here 8.45am so will be up at 6am urgh the thought, Val x

[Hidden]

Good luck for tomorrow then!

[valm]

Thank you x

[Hidden]

Hi Valm, I was told about the saline solution by my sister (the nurse!) about four months ago - as the doctors have changed at our surgery I spoke to the practise nurse who then arranged for a script for the saline. During the recent exacerabation my husband was really struggling clearing his chest and we were both worried that the saline would cause an instant coughing fit! which would make him very breathless and panic etc. BUT actually it didn't, it seemed to be pretty useful and he said that it did help his breathing maybe because it cleared the mucous. Hope all is well with you. TAD xx

[valm in reply to Hidden]

Thank you hoping with ant fungal meds and the saline my breathing will improve, want to go back to work Val x

[jojam in reply to valm]

Glad to see your still on on the community Val. Hope it does the trick, I found coloyicin & saline nebs helped me.

Best wishes

Jo

[Hidden]

Hope it works brilliantly for you and you are back at work in no time!! TAD xx

[Hidden]

No I mix budesonide and Ipratropium. Doctor told me not add saline.

Hope it helps x

[patrickbakeruk]

My experience of bronchiectasis & chest infections. (edit 4)

Not for everyone but, if you are able to exercise & not too depressed so that you can give up the luxuries of life that are killing us, read on!

Having suffered multiple chest infections since childhood I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis Only now do I appear to have contained my ailment.

It is well known, now, that the stomach & digestive process is integral to a normal person’s health, affecting hormones regulating mental & physical wellbeing.

For we bronchiectasis sufferers the stomach is crucial as, while being an important PART of the immune system which fights infections &, affects mental health, the stomach can aggravate & even, with acid reflux, cause lung conditions.

I believe that the profusion of antibiotics prescribed to me from an early age enfeebled my natural defences by wiping out the natural stomach biota - which digest food & maintain a healthy balance - & perhaps weakened the efficacy of medicines.

I have always, until recently, suffered stomach ailments - diagnosed with irritable bowel, a hiatus hernia & I suffer gastric reflux - also depression, though, in my case, drinking too much alcohol was a major exacerbater for all my problems!

I never take antibiotics now & never will: unless my actual life is threatened.

I gave up alcohol - it had always amplified my chest mucus & upset my stomach - red meat, caffeine & chocolate, to aid digestion &, I eat lots of fruit & veg. Because I also suffer from pancreatitis, I use (the cheapest) coconut oil for frying instead of the usual oils as there is evidence that it is digested differently & crucially, more easily.

I manage stress better – exercise being the key to burning off stress hormones which can cause mayhem with brain & ‘drain’. Many people advocate yoga & anything, where you exercise & mix socially, has got to be good all-round.

Thus my stomach problems were contained though stress still makes it erupt: this being a natural body reaction to ‘fight-or-flight’ stress response.

I exercise as much as possible but especially when my sputum becomes discoloured. Even when well & my lungs feel completely clear, a stint of running, especially in cold air, brings up quantities of mucus & ‘clears the tubes’ &, I always sing as much as possible as this has the same clear out effect & is good for the soul!


After around 3 years of this regimen, I was a lot better: minor infections reducing exponentially with time. The final eradicator of my problem – time will tell - was to 'make' a salt-water atomizer inhaler, details of which I found mentioned on sites like this one.


I purchased one ‘Pond Fog Machine Atomizer Ultrasonic Mist Maker Humidifier’ * from eBay for £1.99, plonked it in a glass of slightly salted water, inhaled the mist & now my sputum is clear most of the time &, though I have often felt I might fall ill on the morrow, I have not suffered any proper chest infections since & colds do take hold of me.

For those, like myself, who are sceptical of ‘natural’ cures I always point out that many of us are ‘’instinctively” (literally, as in an evolutionary sense) drawn to sea swimming &, after swimming underwater, saltwater trickles out of my sinuses for up to 2 hours after the event. This is a cheaper & much healthier version of the medical procedure I had to have done, while an anaesthetised child, in a hospital: my sinuses being washed out/syringed.


I must mention that there could be an unknown medical conflict with what I advocate, especially with medication, & “You should seek professional advice first” but, I would add that Doctors can be conservative in their outlook.

Doctors are, after all, always using yesterday’s methods today, whereas the latest results & innovations will be used tomorrow.

And yet… going totally against what I have just written, Doctors seem to forget yesterday’s simple validated remedy’s especially when they are low tech or can be labelled as a folk remedy: for instance! For an eye infection, most UK residents would spend an hour on the phone to get to see a Doctor, travel there, get prescription, go to the chemist, pay £6+ etc.

As eyes are already naturally saline/salt-water lubricated I just bathe my eyes with strong salt water or a chamomile (excellent for calming stomachs) tea infusion.

And yet again, I must add that I do believe that a little information can be dangerous as evidenced by the uninformed publics negative reaction to MMR injections.

If you put your life in the hands of a Dr or, say, your finance with an accountant/solicitor or even our, demonstrably rogue national banks without researching, (official scientific sites only, please!) questioning evidence or decisions you will, sooner or later, end up poorer in both wealth & health.

I had that experience myself: before I was (also) finally diagnosed with pancreatitis. A hospital consultant told me that - even though he thought I might have pancreatitis - that it was OK for me to continue drinking alcohol. That was like telling people on this forum that smoking is OK if you restrict yourself to forty cigarettes a day!


I do hope my experience may benefit my fellow suffers, & in conclusion:

I believe we have to carefully collate all information, make our own choices & take all advice -wait for it – ‘with a pinch of salt’! Good luck, Patrick Baker, UK.

*Ultrasonic Atomizer Info.

Note: the atomizer makes a ‘mist’ of actual saltwater whereas, ‘steaming,’ with salt water, is inhaling water vapour only, - maybe a trace of salt? - as the salt is left as sediment within the saucepan/ steamer.

You could put the atomizer into an ordinary drinking glass & with a funnel or cut down plastic bottle, reversed, over the top of glass it will work OK.

I add about a quarter teaspoon of salt to half cup water.

What is recommended I know not but my experience is that it does seem weak & this softness does encourage more deep breathing of the solution.

I dose myself so that, the next day, when coughing up mucus I can only just taste the salt.

After breathing, say, ten, large opera singer deep breathes, I can taste salt for around three days which is very reassuring: I know that the ‘medicine’ is located correctly & not only in my bronchia’s at least, but is covering my throat & is, I assume, deep in my lungs.

My photo which can be seen on (Facebook Bronchiectasis groups - join group & search with my name) shows my more practical atomizer arrangement.

My atomizer is inside a glass children’s jar/beaker thingy (common in UK charity shops, usually sold with a large straw for children) with a metal screw cap.

I drilled a hole in the beakers lid & inserted a cut-down plastic bottle, upside down. Use a flexible plastic bottle that you can, while clasping the top, fit your face/cheeks when DEEP breathing.

The bottle neck is held in place with its plastic screw-cap (cap centre drilled out) screwed onto the lid. Do NOT screw bottle to lid tightly as you need air to enter container unimpeded while you breathe.

Some YouTube sites add an electric fan but the mist flows effortlessly. You can’t blow things deep into your chest: it has to be you sucking it down. If you are unfit & not used to flexing your lower lung capacity like I have too while exercising with weights or singing, you will need practice.

I cannot overemphasise the importance of developing your breathing by expanding the lower lungs. Your belly should swell first when breathing.

If using a metal cap lubricate bare metal parts with Vaseline or similar to prevent rust.

I drilled a hole in the side - glass-drilling drill - for the electric cable.

If you need to locate the atomizer centrally in jar/glass like I had too, use glass marbles /beads to position it. YouTube sites advocate glueing the atomizer down but that is unnecessary hassle & impedes cleaning & future removal/adaption.

[Hidden in reply to patrickbakeruk]

Sorry to ask on an old post but I just wondered if you’ve ever been tested for cystic fibrosis?

[patrickbakeruk in reply to Hidden]

Please, mainsdours, do not be sorry for trying to help me!

I have not been specifically tested but maybe the Drs. have looked at other indicators? I I will follow this up as I do have other possible symptoms re. stomach, pancreas etc, but no 'killer' clues that I can discern.

Many thanks for yr interest!

Patrick

[Hidden in reply to patrickbakeruk]

Worth a check! You have some similarities to me and it’s one of the few untested things remaining. I have severe, atypical, and refractory asthma + pancreas problems (my toilet knows all about them lol) + other GI symptoms and salty hands. It’s probably not but it’s always worth a check because there are certain treatments that could help if it is!

[dominik12345]

Hi my son have 10 year old l buy tis machine and buy saline l giving him because have blocked nosa tis when l giving her its no ben same problem?