Okay, Okay. So now that I'm done with all of the girly griping, sorry, I digress. Let's move on to more important things....Like airway clearance. Yaaaaay!
I have been hearing about percussors and flutters and acapella since my debut on the scene of the online CF community roughly a year ago. (give or take a week or two). As time has gone by I have increasingly questioned the efficacy of The Vest. Dont get me wrong, we still use it religiously, but its just one of those things that you wonder about. It never elicits a cough, how much can it really be moving?
So with this in mind and a couple of references to this device by some others, we ordered the ElectroFlo 5000. Its a percussor. Its supposed to be closer to manual CPT than The Vest. Its supposed to be amazing. We shall see.
The ordering process was super easy and the people at MedSystems Inc were very nice. I was on and off of the phone in a matter of 10 minutes, max. This is quite possibly because we are paying for this piece of machinery out of pocket. I think that if our insurance had covered it, it may have been a more involved process. The total cost is $2750 and we have 30 days to decide whether its something that is going to be helpful or useful for Natalie.
Quite frankly, I don't care about the money. I care whether or not this thing is going to help. It supposedly allows for a more focused therapy in the places that you need it. It supposedly penetrates deeper than The Vest vibrations. That would be nice. Natalie has some areas in her mid lobes that are deep, they are only visible in the lateral view of her CXR....
I'd love to have a crack at them with a 3k handheld vibrating machine.....and it looks like tomorrow I will be getting the opportunity.
In the midst of all of this I realize that I am getting excited over medical equipment. I also realize that I am getting excited over spending close to 3k on a handheld, vibrating piece of metal and plastic.
Now those are the true joys of CF....the moments when you realize you live in an altered state of "normal", and you're completely okay with that.
Because the truth of the matter is that I would rather my altered state of normal over the alternative any day of the week.
My best to you. ~j
I have been hearing about percussors and flutters and acapella since my debut on the scene of the online CF community roughly a year ago. (give or take a week or two). As time has gone by I have increasingly questioned the efficacy of The Vest. Dont get me wrong, we still use it religiously, but its just one of those things that you wonder about. It never elicits a cough, how much can it really be moving?
So with this in mind and a couple of references to this device by some others, we ordered the ElectroFlo 5000. Its a percussor. Its supposed to be closer to manual CPT than The Vest. Its supposed to be amazing. We shall see.
The ordering process was super easy and the people at MedSystems Inc were very nice. I was on and off of the phone in a matter of 10 minutes, max. This is quite possibly because we are paying for this piece of machinery out of pocket. I think that if our insurance had covered it, it may have been a more involved process. The total cost is $2750 and we have 30 days to decide whether its something that is going to be helpful or useful for Natalie.
Quite frankly, I don't care about the money. I care whether or not this thing is going to help. It supposedly allows for a more focused therapy in the places that you need it. It supposedly penetrates deeper than The Vest vibrations. That would be nice. Natalie has some areas in her mid lobes that are deep, they are only visible in the lateral view of her CXR....
I'd love to have a crack at them with a 3k handheld vibrating machine.....and it looks like tomorrow I will be getting the opportunity.
In the midst of all of this I realize that I am getting excited over medical equipment. I also realize that I am getting excited over spending close to 3k on a handheld, vibrating piece of metal and plastic.
Now those are the true joys of CF....the moments when you realize you live in an altered state of "normal", and you're completely okay with that.
Because the truth of the matter is that I would rather my altered state of normal over the alternative any day of the week.
My best to you. ~j
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