Bubbly Volcanoes

Amelia has a cough again. Back to pink medicine (antibiotics) and trying to get her doing more physio. The newest physio method we are trying to introduce is blowing bubbles. We have tried on and off for the last 12 months but she hasn't been interested. Tim tried it with her about a month ago and we called it Bubbly Volcanoes and suddenly it's fun. We are not calling it physio either which I think is helping.

We fill a 2 litre bottle almost half full of water, add dish drops and then put the tubing down into the bottom of the bottle. Then she blows bubbles. We tell her to make the bubbles come out like a volcano.

It is excellent for improving her lung function and helps her cough (which is a good thing - to help move the troublesome mucus).

Physio is an important part of treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. We try to encourage Amelia to be as active as possible. Running in our house is not banned. Tickle torture is a regular game. Jumping on beds happens often and the dancing and prancing around - that is inevitable in house full of little girls. One day soon, (maybe around Christmas time), we will get a trampoline. That will be fabulous physio!

The physio method we have used since Amelia's diagnosis at 5 weeks is called percussion's. We make a cup shape of our hand and firmly pat on Amelia's chest, sides and back as she is lying down. This takes 20 minutes. It helps loosen and move mucus, which is the most important thing. We have done this almost everyday (sometimes twice a day) since she was 5 weeks old.

The bubbly volcanoes will eventually replace this method. This will be much better for everyone. She will have to blow bubbles for 10-15 minutes at a time. That is some serious lung function!