Hi! I was just seen at Nat'l Jewish for my lungs. They did a CT Scan and put me on a nebulizer with hypertonic saline solution. Anyone else on this? How long does it take before you notice a difference?
I am on a nebulizer and I use 0.9% saline. I use 2 of the 3 cc ampules along with one ampule of albuterol when I do my nebs. This really helps to expand my airways and moisten them. I know that if I skip my nebs I am miserable. The dry lungs aren't near as bad as they were before I started doing this.
I am wondering what percentage your saline is when you call it hypertonic. Is it higher percentage that helps draw fluid into the tissues? Just wondering. Irish ;D
Hi Irish! Thanks for responding. Yes, hypertonic is a higher salt content than the body so water is drawn to your lungs. It's 3% at 15cc's twice daily. No albuterol just saline. Sounds like my dose is really high?
I sure hope it helps!!
Actually, hypertonic saline draws out water, and in nebulizers is used to reduce swelling in lung tissue.
The process of osmosis transports water from the less-concentrated (hypotonic) to the more-concentrated (hypertonic) solution.
Hi Lizzy! I am glad to hear you're going to National Jewish as well. I went for the first time last week and could not believe the intelligence of my Dr! I went for pulmonary but I took all my health records since I'm such a complicated case and he recognized other stuff going on with me as well. For instance, my thyroid has been really out of whack. I have High TSH with High T4's which indicates a Pituitary Problem. But, my Endo has been telling me not to worry about it. He got me into their endo in the beginning of April. I've already had a PFT and lung x-rays done so he had the CT done that day and called me within the hour of having it done with the results. I have to have a Bronchial Provocation test and a Laryngoscopy done as well. I am thoroughly impressed with him and the hospital to be honest. This is the first time I have hope, someone is really going to try and fix me. He does think my Sjogren's is secondary to a primary disease not found yet. He looked at me and said, "I will figure it out, I won't stop until I do." I believed him.
They are unfortunately closed on weekends and holidays though. I am seeing Dr. Hamzeh if you decide you don't like your Dr. I've only seen him once but he was awesome!
Do you live in the Denver area? Are you going to the Sjogren's Dinner on Thursday where Steve from the Sjogren's Foundation will be speaking?
I hope you get your answers Lizzy-hang in there!
Linda~I get it! So, I see they're using it for inflammation but how does it help the mucus?
Hey Lizzy!
Glad to hear you like your Dr there. I have been impressed so far. Let me know how the provocation test goes. I'm nervous to do that one quite honestly. I was supposed to do it Wednesday but they rescheduled it.
I wish I knew more contacts in Longmont for you but I don't. It is quite a drive for you, can you go to the main hospital there? Do they have any good Rheumy's?
Keep me up to date on how you're doing and how your test goes!
Linda, Now I am thinking about this very deeply. When you have the osmotic thing going on it goes from the weaker to stronger to dilute the stronger. Strangely I was of the remembrance that it was the other way around. Now I have to ask my pulmonologist about this when I see her on the 30th of this month. All I know is that the saline with the albuterol sure helps to moisten by lungs and helps a lot. Irish ;D
Now I am sitting here still thinking and I can see where you are going with this. The fluid goes from the tissues of the lung through the less deep tissues of the lung to the area of the 3 % saline. This in turns moistens the tissues---did I get it right Linda? ;D
You got it, Irish.
Think of a sponge containing water...when it's squeezed, it pushes water out of the center and the water passing through the outside of the sponge catches any "bits" clinging to it and washes them away; or spraying the back of a screen...the water pushes off any dirt clinging to the other side.
When the hyper solution pulls fluid from the lung tissue, it washes down the bronchial side of the lung tissue, removing the clinging sputum. At least that's my understanding. Then the additional moisture in the bronchioles themselves carry the "debris" out in a cough.
Thanks Linda, You sure know how to explain things. All I know is it works. The funny thing is that I was the one to ask my pulmonary PA about ordering me the saline to moisten as the plain albuterol just wasn't cutting it. Then one day I was talking to my immunologist and he suggested using the saline. At least I have some people that get it!!!!
Hope you are doing well, Linda. Don't hear much from you lately but I know that you are always lurking in the shadows. I am now taking Metforim for type 2 diabetes. I knew that this would get me eventually as there is diabetes in my family. I have lost 20 pounds in a couple months and feel much better. The diet isn't as bad as one would think. I thought I would die having to give up my pop. But----I found out that diet Mountain Dew doesn't have phosphoric acid in it. Makes it safer for the bones and the kidneys and it tastes a lot better than I thought it would.
If somebody tells me something that will make me think twice about the Mountain Dew I will cry. IIIII :o Take care Linda. Irish ;D
Here are some very detailed articles discussing Sjogren's and Lungs. I have scoured around and have found these to be very good articles:
Pulmonary Manifestations of Primary Sj?gren?s Syndrome
http://medind.nic.in/iae/t09/i2/iaet09i2p93.pdf
Lung involvement in primary Sj?gren?s syndrome is mainly related to the small airway disease
http://ukpmc.ac.uk/classic/picrender.cgi?artid=896354&blobtype=pdf
There are many more out there. Definitely also buy "The New Sjogren's Syndrome Handbook".
I'm going to have a separate post also describing your lung symptoms which includes diagnosis, symptoms and treatment. Please fill it out, so we can all share it with doctors.