Morning everyone, I’m a newbie at nebulising having been helped immensely by my friends on this forum. I’ve been prescribed 0.9 isotonic solution. I’ve had some success at improving my chest clearance but those mucus plugs are very stubborn! On researching I’ve read that saline hypertonic 7% is much more effective. I just wanted to know what others are using and whether I should suggest an upgrade when I next see my resp consultant.
Thank you everyone as always Jo xx
I have been using 6% or 7 % (hypertonic) saline twice a day for two years. For me it’s magic! I normally don’t cough but after inhaling hypertonic saline (6% or 7%) I can then cough up sputum so that my lungs feel wonderfully clear. It’s surprising how much comes up and how easily. I have a hope (probably misplaced) that in addition to loosening the mucous the salt may also pickle the bacteria in my lungs.😀 I use 6% (Mucoclear or Salineb) or 7% (Base Labs). Not sure that there is much difference between them. I have never used 0.9% but I would imagine that it’s not strong enough to pull fluid into the mucous so as to soften it.
I also use 6% mucoclear. I read a research paper that said there wasn’t any improvement on using above 6% so I use that. I tried 7% originally but it made me cough and gag a bit so another reason to stick with 6%. My understanding is that it needs to be hypertonic to loosen the mucus along with making it more runny so easier to cough up. The lower % are not hypertonic. I would post links of stuff I’ve read but know I won’t find it again 😂
Thank you for responding, my reading stated that the 0.9 I’ve been prescribed is only similar to tears so obviously not going to be so effective. I will ask if I can have the hypertonic. Jo
my advice is to breathe it in slowly. Then if you can wait 5-10 minutes for it to draw fluid into your airways. Try not to just cough but first to take in a breath, hold it for three seconds and then do a huff. Repeat that until the huff is free of the sound of mucous (ie silent). Next take a double breath (in-in without breathing out between each inspiration) and huff again repeating this until the huff is silent. Then take a triple breath before huffing out again. Repeat until silent. Then take a quadruple breath and cough. What you will have been doing is moving the phlegm up from your small airways into your larger bronchi and your trachea making your airway clearance easier and more efficient. Hope this helps.
I also notice that after coughing up the phlegm if I wait a further 5 - 10 minutes, I spontaneously cough up a bit more. What I call my ‘after cough’. I then don’t cough again until the next time I use the saline.
hi Liz, I’m also nebulising saline twice a day. Then I do my breathing like Ozzie 3 described, I also use my flutter device which gives my chest a bit of a rattle, then if I still feel I’ve not got everything up moving about a wee bit helps me cough some more (for me this is nothing strenuous, just wandering around in my house)
If I’m very gloopy and it’s not wanting to shift I do an extra round of nebulised saline and breathing and huffing and wandering around in the middle of the day.
It gets easier with practice
Take care
Emily xxx
Emily what saline do you use. I’ve been nebulising for about 2 months whereas previously I was using my flutter device and Autogenic breathing. But I don’t think the 0.9 saline is strong enough. Thank you for replying xxx
I’ve use 0.9, I’ve got severe asthma so need to not irritate my airways. When my asthma is really flared up I use salbutamol nebules
Hope you find something that works well for you xxx
Hello, I’m new here…
What to do?
sinusitis and Bronchiectasis 
Pik line antibiotics for Pseudomonas
Bronchiectasis.. Thinking of buying an Aerosure Medic for mucus clearance