Can a spirometer increase lung capacity

[Karen Bowen]

Hi Natalie! YES! the Spirometer will exercise your lungs & help with expanding their capacity. My Pulmonologist and the doctors I’ve encountered at the hospital all have told me to use it. My PT & OT have also pushed me to use it. “At every commerical” they tell me. Our disease is one of progression so if this helps keep the dogs @ bay, it’s worth the try! The Voldyne Spirometer is what they’ve handed me @ the hospital (I have a plethora of them!) & they’re around $12.

Keep the faith – Karen

[Natalie Mondor]

Thanks Karen. I have an Airlife that I use but my sats go down too much if I don’t wait a good 5 minutes between breaths. I don’t seem to make much progress: still at 750, although I got to 1000 when I was taking prednisone. Have you increased your intake? Natalie

 

[Jim Couch]

Talked with my pulmonologist about using one as I wasn’t on any lung/breathing exercises for some reason. I’m not one to do a repetitious exercise without making it somewhat interesting. Now to my wife’s chagrin I am learning the harmonica. Not able to hit the long rifts yet but beats blowing in and out a tube going cross-eyed watching a little ball. It has helped in my case as far as the lungs but am still tone deaf and rhythmically pathetic.

[Natalie Mondor]

Thanks Jim. At least you’re having fun. You’re so right about the spirometer being a total drag ! Natalie

[Pete Besio]

At the beginning of my IPF journey, I was an extremely fit human, riding my bicycle an avg of 5000 miles per year. When in the hospital recovering from my lung biopsy, the respiratory therapists were impressed with my lung volumes. When I shared this with my pulmonologist on the follow up visit, he said my volumes were indeed great….but volume isn’t our problem. It is the amount of scar tissue on our lungs that impede the O2/CO2 exchange that is the problem.

With that being said, I am still a believer in lung exercise. I am still able to get mine on a bike, but anything helps. Might have to take up the harmonica though, my guitar and ukulele playing doesn’t seem to aggravate my wife enough….