Cystic Fibrosis Support Group

I take 7% hyper-tonic saline everyday. I am not aware of it affecting the biology in sputum. I have been taking it for over 2 years and have NOT noticed it falsely influencing my sputum cultures. Granted, it has usually been 12 to 20 hours since my last saline dose when I produce sputum at clinic.

I have a love/hate relationship with hyper-tonic saline. It can make me have such horrible coughing fits I feel like I can't breathe and the coughing fits upset my stomach so much it makes me throw up. I also find that frequently when I take it, it creates a rattle of what I assume to be mucus in my lungs that tickles or itches in a very annoying, urgent way.

But, on the other hand, I do find it helps me clear mucus better than any other drug I have taken. I do take it once a day and pulmozyme once a day. I find both very effective - pulmozyme in thinning mucus, and saline in producing the mucus so I can get it out.

Hopes this helps somehow.
Kriss

thank you yes helps heaps my girl hates it she coughs like she is "faking it" and i get so angry then she coughs so much she is sick i keep saying she is just being silly and nw i am going to apoligize profusly to her she obviously dosn't like it but yeah i don't help by the sounds of it. her sample was prodused during physio with the hypertonic it is 10% i think not to sure but thats what is in her notes

As far as a way to try to produce mucus for a sputum sample...

I couldn't do so for the first 20 years of my life (much to my mom's frustration). But, on some occasions, I found sorta hanging upside down while coughing, helped me get the mucus from my throat actually to the cup with gravity. I would lie with my head over the end of the examination table (sorta bent over) and my mom would do some percussion therapy. If we were lucky, I might get some sputum out for a sample to test.

did you have lots of chest infections or did you seem to be ok in that respect jo gets them like every few months but has a constant dry cough about every 8 - 10 months she needs a tune up as it gets to much for her and me to deal with at home