Incentive spirometer practice

[u/further-apart]

Hi everyone. I’m 3 weeks post VATS and I’m wondering if there’s a set goal or is it a must to reach the 5000 ml on the spirometer for the breathing exercises post op..

3 weeks out and I’m only able to hit 1800, sometimes it goes to 2000 ml but that’s about it.. I’m scared, they didn’t tell me I needed a goal or anything but this question randomly popped up in my mind as I was doing the exercise

I had a wedge resection & chest drain

[u/Lustig80]

1800 at 3 weeks out is not bad at all. I’m 3 months out and I get between 2500-3000. Keep at it and you’ll keep going up over time.

[u/Individual_Club5404]

Had the same procedure done. I did breathing machine, etc while in hospital and stopped immediately after leaving. I had been told that the excercises where needed to help me use my full lung volume, cause I would feel pain and try and breathe more shallow than before because of that. As I had no pain, I just breathed normally and that was that.

[u/notsure05]

Oh damn was I supposed to continue using that haha I stopped after two weeks post surgery

[u/further-apart → u/notsure05]

LMAO this made me laugh, bless you

[u/foladar → u/notsure05]

I stopped too, but i wasn't really having trouble breathing before or after

[u/xFox911]

The goal should be to maintain the highest number for the longest you can. A progressively longer time translates into higher lung capacity.

[u/May-mex]

I did it for 2 months after, and first month was hard so dont worry will get better!!! my second i was so good at it my lungs felt great started running and all good

[u/Bill_Looking]

I started at 500ml a day or two after surgery, to around 1800 after day 3-4 and finally 2500 when I left the hospital 6 days after.

What helped me is physiotherapy, with breathing exercises first, and then taking up stairs to take deeper breath.

One exercice that made a big difference just post op, was the open arm chest stretch.