It can be difficult to find time for daily CF treatments in your already jam-packed lives, but your respiratory therapist can help.
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Our daughter's airway clearance treatment with the vest went more smoothly after we learned a few tricks.
We asked -- and hundreds of you answered -- how you pass the time during long treatments. Check out what the CF community told us when we asked what makes you #morethanCF.
I went through my first surgery recently. I want to share what I learned during my recovery.
I've found an airway clearance routine that works for me by relying on knowledge of my body and breath control, combining conventional airway clearance with yoga breathing techniques.
When our daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, all I could think about was walking into that first CF clinic appointment and walking out with “the vest.” Although transitioning to the vest was the change I feared the most, it's been a welcome change to our once-difficult routine.
Although cystic fibrosis affects many parts of the body, the focus is often on the lungs because of the disease's effect on breathing.
Mucus thinners, such as mucolytics, are inhaled medications that help thin the mucus in the airways so you can cough it out of your lungs more easily. The three main types of mucus thinners are hypertonic saline, mannitol (Bronchitol®), and dornase alfa (Pulmozyme®).
Bronchodilators may widen airways by helping the surrounding muscles relax. This could allow more air to travel through the airways, which may help other medications work more effectively.
Chest physical therapy (CPT or Chest PT) is an airway clearance technique (ACT) to drain the lungs, and may include percussion (clapping), vibration, deep breathing, and huffing or coughing.