Breathing machine thing

I forgot to ask my doctor, and I can ask tomorrow, but I was wondering how long you ladies used yours? I was told to do it every hour, but nobody really said for how long.

I think i made it five days or until i could make the thingy go all the way up easily. I meant to ask the doc but forgot. And then i forgot to keep doing it. I am a bad person to ask i guess.

I tried for the first day or so after surgery. Then I got tired of it, and no one (nurses, doc) really cared. Anyway I felt it was getting germy after a day, and didn't want to infect myself.

i used it while i was in the hospital for the two days every hour and then when i got home when i could remember so maybe onece or twice and then i just put it away and left it

	Quote:
Originally Posted by niki_coe I forgot to ask my doctor, and I can ask tomorrow, but I was wondering how long you ladies used yours? I was told to do it every hour, but nobody really said for how long.

It's designed to prevent pneumonia in patients who are bed ridden, have very limited mobility, or who take only shallow breaths due to pain. Pneumonia and all the coughing that goes with it would be terrible for recovery!

My doc said to keep using it until I was off the Percocet and more active, like taking a couple of walks a day. I think breathing tends to be shallow when you take narcotic pain killers, like Percocet and morphine.

I was on oxygen my first post-op night because my breathing was so shallow while I was on morphine.

Thanks ladies. I have been up walking pretty good, and have been using it when I remember. Just wanted to know about how long everyone used theirs.

How about only once in front of the nurse and then never again! LOL

I didn't even know such a thing existed I was just told to try and take deep breaths at the hospital.

I was in the hospital for three days and used it while I was there, but then left it behind when I left. It wasn't something I wanted to bring home with me. I wanted to bring the auto-massager on my hospital bed home with me, but the nurse said no. They only let me bring the compression stockings.