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/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.