The Bird Has Landed!!!

Hurrah!! Finally after a VERY long wait, lots of faffing, oxygen contract jiggling and the delivery of a stand my Bird Mark 7 Respirator is finally here and fully operational!!

This machine is basically an old fashioned ventilator that I use to help me with my physio. I take a small breath which triggers the machine, I then keep breathing as it forces more air and oxygen in under pressure inflating my lungs far more than I have the strength to do on my own.

It has a number of advantages;

• It is significantly less tiring enabling me to do better and longer physio sessions even when I'm really unwell and breathless

• It forces my lungs open further than I can under my own strength which is great as it stops all the weak little damaged tubes from permanently sticking together and forgetting how to move
  

• It enables me to clear even really thick sputum from really small airways as I can direct the pressure into where I need it and get it behind the sputum, normally when I'm tired it takes so much energy and strength to direct the air it's hard to also take a deep breath at the same time, this solves that

• It is oxygen powered, so I get less breathless whilst doing physio which enables me to do longer sessions

• I can put ventolin directly in the device saving me a bit of neb time, and also keeping the vent. dose going in throughout my treatment whilst also getting the drug into much deeper and smaller airways
  

All in all a truly fantastic bit of kit and I'm overjoyed to have it as I'm hoping it will help me keep myself well, and maybe even, fingers crossed, see me improve my baseline lung function... Big big thankyous to all the many people who've helped me get hold of one I know it's taken lots of long phone calls and letter writing.