Question on cough assist

[Colleen15]

Hi, I have limited coughing ability. I eat food only through G-tube, but do drink water in mouth. If I choked
On water, could I use cough assist machine to get it out? Or would it push the water further into my lungs?
Thank you.

 

[oldgeek]

I have a trach (and feeding tube) and use a cough assist twice a day. To answer your question, yes, the CA will push the water down into your lungs; but at the same time, it opens up the lungs so it's easier to clear. In fact, my ALS pulmonologist told me to put 6cc of saline down my trach tube directly into my lungs before using the CA. It really helps. The other nice thing for me about the CA is that it helps me clear my sinuses too. It's like a "nose blowing" assist. One other tip, I've aspirated many times and developed pneumonia (thus the trach). I can still drink water even though I have the feed tube; but when I do, I make sure it's super cold. That way, my limited nerves know there is something there and it has really reduced the choking and aspiration. Good luck