The Vest shakes, rattles, vibrates and moves my mucus. It does all the work for me.
The vest is the best airway clearance device, and you don’t have to pay extra for that rhyme.
If you disagree… you’re wrong.
The bottom line is that the Vest might be one of the most important inventions in respiratory therapy history. The simple fact that it requires little effort from the user is no small thing. Our treatments, medications and therapies are very involved, and they only work if they are used consistently. By virtue of the little effort required, I am more apt to throw the damn thing on and let it wail away at my lungs than I am to spend 25 minutes focusing on intricate breathing exercises.
Not to mention the Vest is hands free, and it can be used in conjunction with other airway clearance methods! Hell I’m sucking down some hypertonic saline, rattling in my Vest and writing this very blog all at the same time.
Productivity at it’s finest!
Now, I know some of you will say…. “But Gunnar… it’s so uncomfortable!” Let me ask you this… what’s more uncomfortable, a vibrating vest or suffocating from the inside?
I’ve used the Vest just about every day, twice a day for 20-30 minutes each session, for the past 12 years and I know I’d be nowhere without this thing.
PEP devices suck, I don’t’ care what the studies say – I spent hundreds of hours using them when I was younger. They really do suck… and you can tell the manufactures I said that. Who wants to sit there and breathe into another damn device? I already have 4 others I need to do – twice a day.
The Vest is better than the rest… in fact it’s the very best.
Convince me I’m wrong.
(Big shoutout to Lea for letting me use the above photo)
Speaking of CF…. Here’s a chance for YOU to get involved in CF research. My friends at Johns Hopkins are taking a look at pain in cystic fibrosis. If you are living with CF, and are 14 or older, please take 10-15 minutes to fill out this! You can find the survey HERE
