Know How to Use Your Nebulizer - Before You Need It!

 A friend just sent a photo of her daughter using a nebulizer and asked if it was connected correctly.

 

Friend knows I'm a Certified Asthma Educator and have been helping other families with asthma for 23 years.

Narrator: Friend did not have the nebulizer pieces connected right. In fact, it looked like a highway interchange similar to a spaghetti bowl. 

How do you answer someone who is asking of help and they have made a mistake? 

Be Kind

You can respond to any situation by being kind or tactless. I prefer to be kind.

Gently Correct 

When people show me how they use a inhaler or nebulizer (also called a compressor unit), I ask them to watch me while I show them the correct technique. Then I ask them if they would do anything differently now that they have seen the proper technique. 

If they don't spot the error - I tell them that they are reallllly close - but it would help if they change  xyz" 

I tell them that they will actually get more medicine out of their inhaler or nebulizer if "they just make a couple of small changes"

 Read the room

Friend's child was just diagnosed with asthma and sent home with an adorable penguin shaped nebulizer. This was not the time for me to teach my friend. This was the time to just correct the technique so the little girl could get her breathing treatment.

Assure them 

Assure the person that they are doing a good job! Asthma is confusing. It's hard to remember the name of inhalers, type of delivery (metered dose inhaler, dry powder inhaler or soft mist), and trying to figure out how to use a nebulizer. 

Friend said that reading the instructions for the nebulizer was like trying to put an airplane together - while she had a scared little girl who couldn't breathe. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

 When my kids were first diagnosed with asthma (decades ago), I was scared of using a nebulizer. I knew this was going to be part of our lives going forward, so I better get comfortable with it. 

So, I washed my hands, pulled out the compressor unit, tubing, and various pieces of the nebulizer, and practiced putting it together. 

I did that over and over again until I felt comfortable. Then I taught my husband and kids how to do it, so it just became second nature. 

My kids are grown now, but we can all quickly assemble the nebulizer pieces and - even in the middle of the night - and give ourselves a breathing treatment. 

 The last thing you want to do during an asthma attack is try to read instructions for the nebulizer. Practice ahead of time so it will be easier to deal with a stressful situation!