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Take a Deep Breath and Hold It!

Article Summary: Cheerful, bright and charming the Pulmonary Squad introduced me to the AEROCHAMBER PLUS. The AEROCHAMBER PLUS VHC is an instrument "designed to administer aerosolized medication from most pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers prescribed by a physician or healthcare professional." It is designed to maximize the delivery of medication into the lungs and can be used with most pressurized asthma inhalers.

"You're having pulmonary problems," said the doctor.
"What is that?" I asked. "Asthma, what?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But you are having trouble breathing."

Take a Deep Breath
and hold it!
by Lin Stone

One inhaler with Combivent was prescribed at first. You put the tube in your mouth, suck real hard and press down at the same time on the medicine bottle to release a blast of medicine. With any luck at all some of it reaches your lungs. The rest of it lingers like bile inside your mouth long after you are through spitting and snarling.

Since Combivent did so little good for me an additional inhaler was prescribed. It contained flunisolide. This tastes worse than the Combivent. If it did any good at all, I could not tell it after gagging.

Fortunately I was soon hospitalized and put on oxygen. It was a rough old go until two pretty nurses rushed in from the Pulmonary Squad to rescue me.

Cheerful, bright and charming they introduced me to the AEROCHAMBER PLUS. The AEROCHAMBER PLUS VHC is an instrument "designed to administer aerosolized medication from most pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers prescribed by a physician or healthcare professional." It is designed to maximize the delivery of medication into the lungs and can be used with most pressurized asthma inhalers.

The idea behind this cute little invention is to help you get the medicine down into your lungs without gagging. It works. It works wonderfully.

The Aerochamber is one tube about six inches in length with plastic caps on each end. At one end the inhaler mouthpiece is inserted. At the other end there is a mouthpiece that goes into the patient's mouth. A baffle near the mouthpiece will scream or whistle if you suck in too hard.

Your job, as inhaler first class, is to ALMOST make the Aerochamber whistle, but stop just short of producing that music -- and draw in a long, slow breath, then hold it. Done just right 90% of the bad taste that sets off my gag reflex is eliminated. The medicine goes down into my lungs where it is supposed to be. My improvement was dramatic, and immediate.

Suddenly, with no change in medication whatsoever, I could breathe again. With great enthusiasm I set out to master the technique. Whoever said a cowboy wasn't susceptible to flattery was wrong. The sweet smiling nurses from the Pulmonary Squad monitoring my progress bragged on me to all my visitors. That made it much easier to beam with pride at my rapid recovery.

The Pulmonary Squad then brought in another device called the Voldyne 5000 Volumetric Exerciser. Let's call it a WHOOSHER for short because you are supposed to WHOOSH your breath into it to determine how windy you are..

The manufacturer has this to say about the WHOOSHER. "Large volume measurement and advanced low-work-of-breathing filter. Compact, ergonomic design with built-in handle. Gradations on both sides of unit and good/better/best flow window for visualization of daily improvement. SWingle-patient use."

But if we left it at that you'd never buy the thing, would you?

"But, what good is it?" you might ask even after reading the company's description.

Well, all you have to do is set this thing on your desk and visitors will suspect you are a rocket scientist, or something. But the WHOOSHER has more uses than that too so let's move on.

The WHOOSHER has two chambers with a valve in each one. A tube with a mouthpiece for you to blow into is connected to both chambers simultaneously. There is a valve in each chamber that rises or lowers according to the speed and the volume of your inhalation.

The valve on the left is used to register the speed of your exhalation. The valve on the right is used to register the volume of your exhalation. With a sharp, quick gulp you can shoot the valve on the right to register higher points. The higher you go, the prouder of your lungs you have a right to be.But wait, when you WHOOSH out sharply like that the valve on the left goes sky high too -- and the Pulmonary Squad scowls at that. Smiley Faced "BEST" is at the BOTTOM of the cylinder!

Your job, as exhaler first class, is to raise the valve on the right as high as possible while simultaneously keeping the valve on the left down inside the BEST zone. This induces slow, steady, deep breathing. This is the RIGHT WAY to breathe. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do this, but it does take practice. The trick to steady improvement is to keep practicing long after the Pulmonary Squad departs from your life.

My goal is to continue breathing in the BEST zone until it becomes natural for me to breathe naturally for 24 hours a day. If it wasn't for looking stupid I'd even take the WHOOSHER with me for use and practice on my brisk walks around the community. Coward that I am, I will only use it in the closet -- after making sure the door is locked. But someday, someday soon, I won't care if people do think I'm a rocket scientist.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Lin Stone
Lin Stone is an author, writer and photographer. His work appears regularly on the web at: http://www.AmericanInsuranceDepot.com/ForYourProtection/ You can have immediate, and free, reading of many more pieces when you send your little surfer scooting to Lin's home page at http://www.talewins.com/StoneSoup.htm where he keeps stirring up more good things for the soul.