Fatboy’s Nebulizer Life

Owing directly to my eFlow nebulizers (Why you NEED an eFlow a.k.a. Trio and Altera), there is no way I would be able to function with all of my responsibilities without being able to do speedy breathing treatments. They allow me to break down a dose into 90 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the med and how much is in the vial. Look how darn portable they are, too!

Here is a run-down of what is in the photo, why I take it, when, and etc.

Left side from the back

Advair Diskus 500/50 – a steroidal control bronchodilator med that I take twice a day. It’s a dry powder that gets sucked in when a blister inside pops.

Albuterol – my first dose I take with my Trio in the long chain of meds. It’s, of course, a long-time friend of CFers and asthma patients as a bronchodilator. Twice a day again.

Pulmozyme – the first revolutionary CF med from the 90s. I remember the summer it came out. It was the summer OJ Simpson was out running away in his white Bronco. Don’t ask me why I remember that, but I do. It breaks down the DNA in the excessive white blood cells that pile up in CFers’ lungs to make the gunk thinner and easier to cough out. Twice a day.

7% Hypertonic Saline – I use it with its own, older nebulizing head for my Trio so the other one doesn’t get gummed up from the chemical properties in it. I always rotate my heads in this manner because of the Saline. It’s a very uncomfortable nebulizer to breathe in, but it seems like the benefits are worth it from the studies. Twice a day.

Right side from the back

Advair HFA 230/21 – my brand new inhaler to replace Xopenenx. The co-pay is less and it was the new recommendation from the doctor this time. I take a couple of puffs twice or three times per day if I feel the need due to exertion or environment.

AZLI / Cayston – this one is actually AZLI because I’m on my last box of study drug. It gets its own nebulizer and head, and I do it three times per day.

All told, all of this still takes me more than half an hour per day to get the devices put together from the drying towel, gather the meds from the refrigerated and non-refrigerated spots, do the treatments, and rinse and dry the nebulizers handsets and heads. The heads are very cool.

Beautiful said tonight that “life before CF” sure was a lot easier and knows why I didn’t like doing all of the stuff I have to do. Of course, I know that makes her that much more happy that I’m so awesome now, doing everything when I have all of this business work to do. I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I had to do 30 minute neb doses and manual chest PT like the old days. I guess I’d be disabled, but instead, I’m devising a plan to take over the world… the same thing I’ve done every night.