Afflovest-- my opinion

Since I'm rocking some newer hardware, I felt I should give my honest opinion of it.  Please know a few things: 1- no one is paying me for this. 2- My opinion is just for information.  I do not have a medical license and my opinion should not affect you or your health decisions. 3- What may be right or wrong might not be for you.  Please get with your clinic before making any changes.

Here we go!

AffloVest
Basic description: This is another "vest" chest percussion device.  It houses the controller on the user's left side in a pocket and the battery on the user's right side in another pocket.  I have a size "small" and it has 3 adjustable clips in the front to latch it.  It also has several (4 or 5) two-button adjustments in the shoulders to fit the correct length.  To put simply, it is cordless.

How it works: With a charged battery (which lasts approximate 3 hours of usage), the vest is turned on by holding down the button with the symbol for ON (one you often see on computers).  It will boot up over about 5 full seconds.  From there you can run the set program by pressing GO or run whatever setting has been left up by pressing the PLAY button.

You can set a program by using the down arrow until you select Program.  This will bring you to a screen to edit the three Sequences it will cycle through on your program.  I like this because it allows me to set different types of therapy without having to think about it.  Each Sequence can run for a max of 15 minutes.

What the buttons mean:
P- Percussion. This setting vibrates for 1 second on, one second off for the full run time.  This is my favorite setting.
V- Vibration.  This is a solid vibration for the full run time.
D- Drainage.  This targets the lower lobes first, alternating front and back, and vibrates up in different areas.  The idea seems to be to knock crud loose and work it upwards.  I bet this is even more effective when the user is in a downward facing drainage posture.
Three bars: High intensity
Two bars: Medium intensity
One bar: Low intensity

Your mode and intensity can be adjusted at any point during the therapy session.  I saw a "lock" symbol when I set a program, which makes me wonder if it can be locked for kids so they don't change it up.  I haven't opened the flashdrive they sent with instructions, so I don't know for sure.

What's included:
When you get the Afflovest, you get a roller storage bag, the vest with connected controller, one large battery, a battery charger, and a wall cord.  The batter charger plugs directly into the wall and the battery to charge it.  The Vest cannot be used during this time.  They do have a wall cord though.  This can be plugged directly into the wall and the vest for usage when your battery is dead and you really need it.  Obviously, you're bound to the wall at this point, but isn't that what we're all used to anyway?  The cord is fairly long so you can sit on a chair or couch.  They also include a flashdrive of information.  I have yet to open it.

Now the part you've really been waiting for... Pros and Cons

Pros:
-I love the freedom.  I love being able to walk around, cook dinner, dry my hair, put on makeup, etc. while I do my therapy.  The vibrations are different than a typical air-filled vest, so it's not as violent to the entire body.  The vibrations seem deeper and more focused than the air-filled vests, which seem to just try to shake things up without understanding the concept of directional vibrations.
-I like the ease of being able to set the program.  I'm pretty tech savvy but I always struggled with the other vests to set cycles.  I just ran my time on my one setting and that was it.  Now, I feel like I have more freedom with my therapy.
-It works. I'm clearing up some crud. I can feel it makes a huge difference in my day. That's what matters the most in the end, right?

Cons:
-It's heavier than I anticipated.  Mine is 11lbs with the battery.  Sometimes that's hard for me to put on, or I become winded putting it on, but once it's on it's fine.
-The battery doesn't warn you it's low unless you're looking at it.  It just flashes.  I haven't had it die on me yet, but I'm sure it will eventually!
-I wish the programs could run longer than 15 minutes, but that's just me being picky.
-This pairs with the weight, but I expected it to be easier to carry with me when I travel.  It's still easier than the other Vest, but it's just not what I expected.  I'm used to the flimsy vest that I could fold up and pack away (though paired with a big machine), but the Afflovest has the machine built in, so it doesn't fold or pack away as easy as I had hoped.  Again, still easier than other options.
-For flyers: it has a lithium battery so the battery cannot be checked. It will have to be a carried with you.

I hope this helps!

-A

New Vest!

Some of you have been with me long enough to remember this post about my Vest, where I gave it some love.  My more recent friends might only remember this other post about my Vest where I wasn't sure if we were friends or not.  Either way, my Vest was always around giving me grief and giving me clear lungs.  But now, I can retire it because it's time to make room for a new Vest... the Afflovest!  There's no question: we're already BFFs.  When I learned that this Vest might be a real option (around October 2015), it was already a part of my day.  I thought about it LITERALLY every morning.  Any day that I overslept and didn't have time for a morning Vest sesh, I thought about how I could at least get in 10 minutes of the Afflovest while I dry my hair and let the dog out.

If you haven't heard of it, I recommend checking out their website and the YouTube videos posted by people who got the Vest and are demoing it.  The biggest advantage that it brings is I'm not hooked up to vacuum cleaner hoses, but free to walk around with the cordless technology!  It doesn't use air, like the old Vests do, but more true vibrations.  It has 3 settings, Vibration, Drainage, and Percussion (my favorite).  Anyway, not trying to do a promo for them, but I had to share in my excitement.  I mean look at me! I've never been so happy to wear a Vest!

In other news, not much else has changed.  Soccer season just picked back up, I'm singing in the adult choir at church (as I have time), and Zoe is still obsessed with the ball.

Oh! One thing I did was sign up for the Rock CF Kick Backs program.  It's an awesome group of people who, as part of the Rock CF Foundation, provide new tennis shoes to CFers who want to get running or need a new pair from running so much!  It's a really awesome program and I was THRILLED to get my tennis shoes.  Got to keep working hard to stay healthy!

Have a great weekend and a Happy Valentines Day!
-Annie

PICC Tales- the last full day (Picture heavy)

I promised pictures, and here they are! Time to finish out my PICC tales for this 2 week session.

So since I've been home, I've had my dressing changed twice. Not fun at all. Each dressing change, due to skin complications, sent me to the edge of tears/passing out from pain. One of my stitches has also been bleeding during all this time and that caused a lot of pain when it had to be cleaned too. My home health nurse Bridget changed the dressing on Thursday, because I developed a spot of something underneath my dressing and it needed to be freshened up. By that night and Friday morning, it was completely ruined and needed to be changed again. Turns out my skin had blistered under the dressings and those blisters had popped under dressings #2 and #3 and required a dressing #4 on Friday. Luckily, this last dressing has lasted. My overall rash is completely gone leaving me with rough skin on my arm and my face, so I'm getting the spa treatment tomorrow after my PICC comes out! The only place that still itches is under the dressing where it hasn't had air to heal.

The broncho-spasms have quieted down thankfully and have not been as bad.

One thing I haven't mentioned that some of you know already is that my parents left the country last Saturday and returned this Saturday! They had their 35th wedding anniversary cruise planned out for months and my hospitalization almost made them cancel! Luckily, after lots of discussions, we worked out a deal where I do the IVs myself (see the picture of the extension below) and my sister-in-law and nephew live with me for the week my parents are gone to help get me through. I'm glad my parents didn't cancel their cruise and trust me enough to let me check myself out of the hospital on Monday and take care of my IVs while they were gone. It was a huge step in me being independent (as if I wasn't already lol) and them trusting me with my health even more.

So, I promised you pictures so here they are, with captions and explinations to walk you through kinda what I've been handling and going through.

Warning: I do have pictures of the exposed PICC (well almost exposed) and blistered skin.

My 3rd dressing, ruined thanks to my blisters.

The blistered skin and uncovered PICC (with Biopatch still on)

The 4th and final dressing- layers of folded gauze to protect the skin and the PICC

The line extension- what's made it possible for me to be independent this week!

Two of my meds in the compression balls- Tobra (L) and Fortaz (R)

Zyvox- my third antibiotic which had to be hung on the dreaded IV pole

I thought I got to leave this thing at the hospital.... nope. I did learn how to set up an IV bag and line though, which was pretty cool.

This was the cool device that set the mL/hr rate. Very cool.

Mom made me this cake when I had 3 days left!

And on a completely different note, I got my new Vest today!

I decided not to take pictures of the alcohol prep pads, the saline flushes, and the heprin just because it was pretty standard. But those have been very common sites at my house since I flush before, after, and in between each IV dose, clean with the alcohol prep pads in between everything, and hep lock with heprin after each IV session ends and flush the unused port for that day with saline/heprin each morning and night. Since this PICC had duel ports, I had to switch them out each day and replace my extension every 3 days. So much to remember but once it became routine, it was no big deal. However, I am very tired these days but I think once I get back in my normal day routine (you know, the one that DOESN'T involve IVs) I won't be so tired! My PICC pulling appointment is at 10am tomorrow (Thursday) morning and my facial is that afternoon. I'm almost done!

See you on the other side!

-Andrea

The Vest: Friend or Foe?

There are days when I finish the Vest and I want to give it a hug or a high five (if it had hands, of course). There are other days where the "minutes left" section seems to almost go backwards. Today is one of those days. I've had to stop it multiple times because my coughing is so extreme, I'm about to bring up the fantastic dinner I had. That, my friends, is a MISERABLE feeling. And I ate 2 hours ago. This was not a "somebody didn't wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming!" situation. This is just a "my Vest hates me" kinda day. Happens. Doesn't mean I shouldn't still use it. It just means today, I won't be smiling afterwards because I feel better, but more likely because I'm done! (2 more minutes.... almost there....)

Two weeks from today, so on May 18, I will be DONE with my sophomore year of college. :) But with every silver lining, there is a dark side: some of my best friends are graduating and moving away. :( Luckily, Skype exists so we can still help each other with what to wear when going out!!

(DONE WITH THE VEST FOR TONIGHT!!!!!)

So with summer so close, it just means finals are even closer. Oh boy. I can't wait. lol

Hope all is well with you. Have a fantastic day!
-Annie

A Christmas gift to myself

Merry Christmas again everyone!! :]

I hope your Christmas was just as fantastic as mine was, filled with the story of Christ, quality time with family and of course, great food.

On a less happy note...
Warning, brutal honesty up ahead. To keep your Christmas cheer intact, read later!
So, I'm frustrated with myself. I fluctuate on being compliant and not. Current status: bad Annie. But my Christmas present to myself is compliance.

It's a gift to myself because if I'm compliant now, I'll still have time for things later in life when I'll really want to still be around. And also for the now. Right now, I sound terrible, coughing too often for my personal comfort. I can barely play soccer. I can hardly sing. I can't lie down without people asking if I'm ok because I'm coughing so much. NOT OK WITH ME. Yet, I did this to myself. So, with roughly 20 days until my next doctor's appointment, I'm challenging myself to be 100% compliant. Not only in meds but also in fitness. I may not run 2 miles every day (although I am still really proud of myself from that day in Dallas), I need to run some and walk some. Mom also got Zumba for the Wii for Christmas and I tried it out with her today. It's really hard, but has great potential to be a serious workout. In an extension of my compliance, I've also upped my Vest time. Instead of 15 minutes once a day (which is surprisingly low), I'm doing 30 minutes at night and 15 minutes in the morning. This is not a suggestion, but an executive decision on my part to change my routine. It's set in stone as far as my compliance goes.

This morning was rough with the pills. Breakfast took a little longer than I anticipated to be ready, so I felt very sick for a few minutes with a handful of pills on an empty stomach. With a few crackers, it was remedied.

I can't decide whether this is going to be difficult or not. So far, it's not really been that hard, but it's been a mind of matter situation. It's so much easier to pop a select few pills and walk away than it is to wait and take them all, but I am getting my mind over the urge to just walk away. So far, so good. I've been 100% compliant so far and I fully intend to keep it that way. I've thought about getting someone to keep me accountable, but knowing myself pretty well (ha!), I know that the person gently reminding me or asking if I've taken everything, every day, would drive me up a wall and I would probably give up and be angry/frustrated about it. So it's just me holding myself accountable to myself and to this blog and to my own personal records.

I can do this.

My goal is to extend the compliant nature past my doctor's appointment of course, and hoping that by that time, things will simply be habit once again and I won't have to do a daily battle with myself!

Finishing up my 30 minutes of evening Vest, about do to my evening Cayston, then making myself a water, taking my evening pills, and then I'm off to bed. I've had a very, Merry Christmas and I hope you have too!

-Annie

No FB and a good book

So my facebook was shut off a few days ago: surprisingly a way less big of a deal than I thought. I haven't really missed it actually...

And instead, I've done a lot of reading! I just finished the 4th Harry Potter book and am about halfway through the 5th. I love these books and I'm really enjoying rereading them.

Today I got to see Carter for the first time in 2 weeks or so, and first time after seeing Kiarda. Wow is there a difference! It's crazy how much a difference 8 months makes in a baby's life. Wow oh wow.

I've been kinda anti-internet since FB shut down, actually. Which is why I haven't been posting much. I have gotten addicted to backgammon too! OH MY it's not healthy how much I play. Haha! I love playing against Mom, she's really good. She's the one who taught me how to play and the strategies of the game. I'm totally bringing this old school game back to college with me. Thank you Zenpep points!

Ok. It's currently Tuesday night. At 5:45am Thursday, I LEAVE FOR BOSTON!!!!!!!! :]]]] I'm super super duper excited. I won't have access to a computer while I'm there so no blog updates until I get back, but with it will come a picture with me meeting Lauren!! This trip is going to be fun! I can't wait!

I had mentioned a few posts back that I moved the Vest to the morning. I also moved Pulmozyme to the morning too, since those two go hand-in-hand. I like the results. I think I might need to add a second Vest treatment to the evening, but I definitely need it in the morning too. I get a lot up and out with the morning CPT.

Night!

-Annie

Countdown to move back to college: 26 days!!!!

Dr. Appointment

Tomorrow is my next doctor appointment. Wish me luck... I'm really nervous, as usual. Mostly because of all the trips I've been on, I have not done as great a job of taking care of myself as I should have. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't come back to bite me with a PICC line and a sentencing to the hospital. We'll see. Report when I return, of course.

I thought for a while and realized that there wasn't much about camp I needed to post here. This is not the place. If you know me IRL, we've probably already talked about it because I have either talked about camp or the VBS I'm working this week with my 20 4-5 year olds.

I'm trying to do my Vest, but having trouble. I feel so sick. I keep having to pause it and let the nausea die down before starting up again. *sigh* 3 more minutes!

The Chili's CF Benefit went well! I know I handed out a lot of coupons (and left some with my server/management) and a lot of people I knew showed up with coupons they printed out. And that was only between 6:00-8:30 at one Chili's!! I can't wait to hear the total. I'll post it, of course!

2 minutes.

I have paper bags to cut (the big ones) and make into vests for the kids at VBS. I'm half way done.

1 minute!

lalalalala..... not sure what else to type. I'm pretty tired, but not ready for 1pm tomorrow.....

Go Vest, go! Hurry!

Aaaaaannnndd... we're done! G'night!

-Annie

DEXA and stuff

I did the DEXA bone density scanner on Monday. The result: I have very good bones! :] I guess all that calcium over the years did some good. Thanks Mom!

I am FINALLY back in my own bed for good. I am done house-sitting, thankfully, and can't wait to curl up with my puppy for the night. She's anxiously waiting me to finish the Vest, do Cayston, scoop her up, and go to sleep (just look at that sad face!!). But I keep having to stop the Vest because it hurts my stomach and my back. Not sure if it makes a difference that I keep stopping and restarting it, but I have to.

I went to visit my college today! I felt so good to be "home". I went and saw my Big, Elizabeth, and then my study buddy Ragan. It was fun. I miss those girls and that town so much.

This Friday, LBASYC is visiting my home church! I will definitely be at that concert to see my friends and hear their beautiful music. As soon as the concert is over and I hug a few people, I'm driving out to Chris's camp to watch his Friday night campfire skits. He's been ragging me for 4 years to come watch so, since I promised I would this year, I figure I should keep that promise. ;]

I have a few more days of relaxation and then my life picks up pace again (not always a bad thing!). I will be going to the home LBASYC concert *next* Friday and then getting up Saturday morning, July 3, and riding with Chris down south to visit his sister. I'll be riding back with his parents on the 5th so I can make a meeting on the 6th that is for the camp I start working on the 11th, after a skit filming I have on the 10th. BUSY BUSY!!! I can't wait. I'm going to be very tired, low on energy and blog posts, but having a great time.

Alright, NOW it's time to go to sleep! Gnight!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!! I love you, Brother. :]

Home, sorta

I got home last night from Panama City Beach. My trip was wonderful, filled with beach visits (day and night), eating at some great restaurants (Margaritaville, Reggae J's, Back Porch, 5 Guys Burger & Fries, etc), hangin' with fam #2, SHOPPING, and jet skis. Ooooh jet skis. I love them. I loved them before, but I *LOVE* them now. I was sore for 2 or 3 days after crazy wave jumping, and still have bruises on the inside of my calves, but it was all totally worth it.

The trip wasn't all great though. There was one thing that rode my nerves more than anything: the insane amount of smokers. There were so many times when I'm sitting on the beach, at night when there aren't that many people out, and someone sits down nearby and lights a cigarette upwind from me. So many times when I was out shopping, I had to leave areas because, as I'm browsing the outdoor areas, or resting my feet on a bench, the smoke rolls in. I'm seriously paying for it too. It was an unavoidable amount of smoke sometimes, and I can feel some junk now piling up in my lungs, more so than before the trip. Not bringing the Vest hasn't helped either though. I took the flutter, but it's not as affective against mass inhalations of smoke as the Vest is. So I'm doing an extra Vest treatment right now, trying to fight back against my struggle to breathe. I really can tell a difference after so much smoke. It really does affect my breathing pretty quickly. And if I'm willing to do extra Vest treatments, that should tell you how frustrated I am. It does feel good getting a lot of this junk up. And, thankfully, on that trip I had a good friend who ran away with me and helped me kindly ask people to smoke away from me (those time when I had been "camped out" on the beach loooong before they showed up). She let me rant about all the smoke a ton, which helped because it was really starting to work on my last nerve.... ugh. (Thanks Kid)

Still doing Cayston. I wish I could feel better, and hopefully I will closer to the end of my first 28 days, but right now I feel worse because of all the smoke. I'm expecting things to take a positive turn soon though.

Around 6pm tonight, I move out to that mansion with my dear friend Casey. As I mentioned before, we are house sitting for roughly 2 weeks. I'm pretty excited but also kinda nervous, with the more I learn about this place. It's under a lot of remodeling right now... a lot. There is one working bathroom, and it doesn't work too well. The dryer doesn't work. Mice have been spotted in the kitchen. I'm hoping there's internet so I can keep the blog updated.

So remember a little while ago I switched from Pancrease MT20 to Zenpep MT 20? I haven't noticed a difference. It has not fixed any of my GI issues like it was suppose to nor really helped my chronic sick feeling, even when I take all the other meds. *sigh* I'll keep taking them, in hopes that maybe it just takes my body a while to get used to new stuff, and talk with my doctor at the next appointment.

Time to do a little at-home relaxing before I pack and head out to my next vacation/adventure. Pictures of my new adventure are coming up, but here are a few more from my beach vaca! Click to enlarge them.

-Annie

Sometimes I just say "no!"...

Last night was one of those nights. Last night, I had crazy fluctuations of hormones (thank you menstrual cycle...) and I was very snappy and kinda exploded on my boyfriend. (Thank goodness he's patient with me!) It's really weird too, because while I'm exploding, I can at the same time think to myself "Whoa. I just totally shifted gears right there. I was happy about 2 seconds ago. I'm being so mean without warning!" and yet, it seems there's nothing I can do to stop myself. I see it happening, I can tell I've shifted into pi.ssy mode, but it just keeps going. And then, I get really upset at myself (and the boyfriend for no reason) and cry. RAH!! This is so annoying. And, because I'm so upset/frustrated, I don't do my Vest. Great, right? Last night, I looked at it and told it "no" because I "just couldn't". Given, I am not a fan of the Vest (....) on most occasions and would love to never do it, but I know the consequences. But last night, I just couldn't bear to make my evening any "worse" by doing it. So I skipped. I did all the other treatment stuff, just not the Vest. So, here I sit doing an extra Vest session to make up for last night. *sigh*

As least I'm in a better mood now.

Here's to the guys who put up with us PMS girls on a regular basis: Thank you. Y'all are patient, loving, and have the unbelievable ability to just let us rant and cry and not take any of it personally because you know we're crazy. So thank you, guys.

Oh, and we're sorry. And we love you. :]

....duh

So I realized today that the Vest works better if you take deep breaths. Wow. It seems like it would be common sense, but I never figured it out until now... 8 years after I got it. Go figure.

Today was a *fantastic* day. Let me tell you what happened:
I was up at 6 (this was not the good part) and leaving town by 6:30 to drive 35 miles to another city to do a Memory Walk to support Alzheimer's research. The walk didn't start until 9, but I went early to help set up. I went with my sorority because Alzheimer's research is one of our major philanthropies. After we left and made it back to college-town, I chilled in the apartment for about 45 minutes (roommate hadn't woken up until after I got back). Then I left to go to my friend Stephanie's apartment. From there, we drove to the lower fields and supported the seniors in our sorority in the Flag Football Tournament, hosted by another sorority on campus. We were out there for several hours, but THEY WON!! 1st place!

From there, Stephanie and I decided to just drive. Didn't matter where. It was such a pretty day and we didn't want to be cooped up inside. So we got gas and took off, singing songs and chatting it up. We ended up going to a nearby lake. It was so beautiful and calm.
We stayed there.... really not sure. We lost track of time skipping rocks and talking. We went back home and she cooked dinner (chicken, rice, and broccoli) with some other friends. It was so much fun.

What a life!!

-Annie

(p.s.- if you're not feeling well, don't do the serious breathing thing with the Vest. I just discovered it makes you feel 10000x worse.)

"Thank you..."

Yesterday I did something I had never, ever, ever done before and never, ever, EVER dreamed I would ever even do. (It's not a juicy story, so don't get all worked up, haha)

BACKGROUND:
I'm ill. With what, I couldn't tell you. I had mentioned in my last post that it wasn't the flu, and I still think it's just a cold. Either way, I'm coughing so much that for the second day in a row, I still don't have a voice. It's BAD. I'm convinced I cough all night while I'm asleep and wake up even more hoarse, not letting my voice heal over-night. Most of my coughing has been dry coughing (not producing any of the mucus I need to be coughing up from my lungs) and that doesn't do me any good. So last night I sat down to do my Vest and about 6 minutes in, I have this wonderful productive cough that makes me feel so much better. I turn to my Vest... "Thank you...". People, I hate that thing. I cannot stand my Vest. I do it like I'm supposed to, but I don't like it. When I'm sick to my stomach, it makes me feel worse, and it's just annoying in general. I know it has health benefits which is why I do it even if I don't want to. So it was quite a unique moment when I turned to my Vest and thanked it for helping me, for doing its job.

So while I may hate it, I do appreciate its help. So here's to you Vest. And the fridge you sit on.

-Andrea

Proof is Bliss

Ahh what a wonderful feeling knowing that all of your sickness truly ISN'T because of your lungs but your sinuses! They knew my sinuses were *horrible* but I was worried that there was something going on with my lungs yesterday. But after 45 minutes of the Vest last night (YES, 45 MINUTES!) I made my diagnoses that my lungs are clear, as usual. Hooray. :]

We announce the soccer teams tomorrow morning! The returning Varsity seniors (all 9 of us) made the posters this evening and will duct tape them to the big wall in the morning. I'm so thrilled. A few people will be very surprised tomorrow!!

So, a game against another local soccer team has been scheduled for Thursday. I am not ok with this. That means I either miss out on the first real game of the season or I play the field instead of being in the goal. I can't play goalie with a PICC line in! However, if I wrap it really well, I can play on the field. If I am out of the hospital by Thursday evening, which I should be, I will go play. Like I said, nothing will stop me!

Alright. I feel Chemistry calling me again. *sigh*

-Andrea