If you are dealing with a bad case of bronchitis it is important to ensure that you are using the right inhaler. Of course, it is the responsibility of your medical team to prescribe, but it is always important that you are able to take part in such decisions that can impact your health so much. It is important to realize though, that not everyone who develops this condition will require an inhaler. In a lot of cases the symptoms will be managed using oral medications. If your symptoms are not helped in this way though, it is likely that you will need to be prescribed an inhaler.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Inhaler for Bronchitis
Most of us will just take breathing for granted; it is not something we need to consciously do so we can just ignore it. It is only when we develop a problem with our breathing that we become more aware of this bodily process. It is then that we realize just vital this simple function is to our survival and how anything that gets in the way of it can seriously impact our ability to enjoy life. Once we have symptoms that make it difficult to breathe we will want to the situation remedied as quickly as possible; inhalers are a type of medication that can greatly help us in this regard.
In bronchitis there is some swelling in the bronchial tubes in our lungs and this interferes with our ability to breathe normally. This swelling may occur because of some type of infection or it may be that we suffer from chronic bronchitis that can be triggered by different pollutants. Once the inflammation is present it leads to shortness of breath and often a wheezing sound when we breathe. It can be unpleasant but in the case of acute bronchitis the condition usually improves in a few weeks.
The Types of Inhalers for Bronchitis
There are a number of different inhalers that may be prescribed for people with bronchitis. The most basic form uses steam to transport the medication into the lung; this steam can be created using a Nebulizer which relies on pressurized oxygen or air to turn the medication into a mist. Another type of inhaler is handheld and sends a metered dose of the drug into the lungs using pressure. There is also a dry powdered inhaler that works by delivering the medication into the lungs on the inhalation.
The dry powdered inhaler is the most widely used because it is so convenient. It is important that anyone using this method ensures that they are holding the inhaler correctly on using the right technique – if not then they will not be getting sufficient medication into their lungs. In hospital it is common to use nebulizers because this can be very effective for getting the medication into the lungs. The nebulizer requires no effort from the patient and it can even be used on people who are unconscious.