"Can't Live Without" - Cough Assist

When I started this set of posts on things we "can't live without" I had not planned to include medical machines. I decided that with the huge impact the airway vest and cough assist have had on Junior's health I would include them. I know most of what I am sharing in our "can't live without" posts are not adaptions but it lets others know what is available and what we(or others) have found most helpful.

My last post was about the airway vest and this post is about the cough assist which goes hand in hand with the vest. After Junior's nebulizer and vest treatment he gets a cough assist treatment.
The vest treatment loosens the gunk in his lungs and helps it move to his upper airways. The cough assist helps get it out. The cough assist has a mask that fits over Junior's mouth, air goes into his mouth then is rapidly sucked back out mimicking a cough. This should make Junior cough though it often does not. Even when he does not cough a huge amount of mucus is pulled into his mouth so it can be suctioned away.
Junior doesn't mind and in fact likes his other treatments but the cough assist he can't stand. Thankfully it doesn't take much time and if we count each "cough/breath" he tolerates it okay. Now that he has his tubie monkey it helps a great deal for us to pretend monkey is also getting a treatment. monkey getting his cougher

What "can't you live without". I would love to have you share.

"Can't Live Without" - Airway Vest

The next piece of equipment in our "can't live without" series is Junior's airway vest. This is a piece of medical equipment and of course not something most kids need. But it is such a huge part of Junior's life and one of our "can't live without" items so I wanted to share. With Junior's lung disease it has been a true life saver. Junior's lungs create a huge amount of mucous and to clear this gunk we have to do percussion. Percussion consists of using a cupped hand to hit his chest and loosen the gunk so it can clear. The airway vest does this percussion for us. With the vest we start at low speed to loosen the secretions and then move to high speed to get those secretions moved into the upper airway so they can be cleared. After the vest we follow with the cough assist machine to completely clear those secretions but I will share about that machine in a separate post. The hoses on the front push air in and out of the vest rapidly to create the "percussion".
This is the vest that Junior wears during his treatment.
I had to cover Junior's hoses with foam and fleece which is why they look strange. Junior has learned how to disconnect his hoses but without the foam he bruises his arms as he works to get the hoses off. (the piece of cloth you see tucked under the shoulder piece on Junior's left is to protect his port during treatments)
When he is full of energy we even have to add a blanket across the vest to keep him from taking off the hoses. A very smart guy who thinks it is quite funny to make us all come running.
Junior uses the full chest vest which inflates and percusses front and back. There are other vests one of which is the chest vest which looks much like Junior's but only inflates and percusses in the front. Another is the wrap which just wraps around the chest and does not go over the shoulders like a vest. When Junior was in the hospital we had to use the wrap because his port was accessed and we couldn't put the shoulder piece over it.
Here is our little buddy ^Drew^ using the vest wrap.

Junior getting all shook up

"Can't Live Without" - High/Low Chair

I have been sharing a few of our "can't live without" pieces of equipment.
Another piece of equipment that we have found to be so very helpful and gets a huge amount of use is the Leckey high/l0w chair. Leckey also has a lot of other great equipment and are the makers of the Kidwalk which we are currently try to get for Junior. This chair can be lowered down to near floor level or up to counter level. It is perfect for schooling and other activities. It reclines and the foot rests can be adjusted to several positions, there are also many extras that can be needed depending on the childs needs.
One of our favorite things is the padded chest strap that holds Junior in a proper position even without his back brace.

This is the 3rd item we have shared in our list of "can't live without" equipment(this will include toys, medical equipment, and mobility equipment), earlier we shared about Junior's overhead lift and shower chair. Tomorrow I plan to share about Junior's airway vest.

Making Your Own Wipes

Awhile back someone shared a recipe for homemade wipes. I finally had a chance to try it and was very pleased. These are great for diaper changes and do not burn like regular wipes do if there is diaper rash. We also use them on Junior's hands.

To start you need a roll of Bounty paper towels(other brands fall apart once wet) and a round airtight container.
Cut the roll of paper towels in half so you have 2 short rolls. Place one roll in your round airtight container.
Mix: 1 1/2 Tbs of baby wash, 1 Tbs of baby oil, and 2 Cups of water
Poor over the roll inside your container. Cover and let it sit so the fluid soaks completely into your paper towels.
Once the paper towels are wet the cardboard tube in the center will pull right out.
then you are all set and your wipes are ready for use(be sure to keep an airtight lid on the container so they don't dry out)