Since I know my treatments aren't as effective without my nebulizers (and especially with my growing belly), I decided to just leave my Vest in the car and enjoy a day and a half treatment-free (minus Cayston, I did that three times a day). I felt like I deserved a break since I hadn't skipped any Vest or nebs in 448 days and I'd been feeling so well lately. My mucus production has really slowed down and I've felt like my airways have been very clear for a while now. Wow....what a difference missing 3-4 treatments makes!!!
This morning I woke up feeling a little crackly and had a throat-clearing cough. Now as I sit here, back at home, strapped to my Vest and just finished my albuterol, I'm coughing up more than I have in weeks (which still isn't a ton, but it feels good to get it out). It sounds silly, but I guess I just forgot how important and effective consistent, daily treatments really are! As much as I grumble about not wanting to do my treatments all the time, I couldn't wait to get home to get strapped in my Vest with albuterol flooding my airways. So I'll be resetting my compliance count tomorrow and hope to continue it for the next twelve weeks til our little lady is born.
I really feel like this was a happy accident because it brought me back to reality for a couple days. It made me realize how lucky I am to have all of these medications available to me and how much my lungs really rely on them. I hope that I'm able to keep this in my mind when I'm a new sleep-deprived mother because I know it's going to be a decision between sleep and treatments sometimes. It's not going to help anyone if I'm not healthy. So I'm going to try my best to do at least one treatment a day when she arrives because I want to be the healthiest mom I can be. :-)
It is amazing how much missing even a few treatments impacts the lungs! 448 days is something to be very proud of though! As far as after baby, it is doable!! I never really missed any treatments after K was born (although I did switch to albuterol via inhaled rather than neb for a little to save time). It just wasn't worth the risk of getting sick with a newborn. I had to forgo a few showers or naps, but your daughter won't mind if you are a little stinky as long as you are breathing! ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, 448 days is amazing! Great job! I definitely missed a lot of evening treatments when my son was born (never the morning ones though), and sometimes sleep did seem more important. Hopefully you'll only miss one here and there :)
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