![]() This could possibly mean that your condition is worsening and that you may need to use your rescue medication, like an inhaler. Yellow: Yellow is when you're at 50-80% of your personal best score, indicating that you should move forward with caution.Scoring in the green zone is good, and you should continue with your normal day-to-day treatments. Green: This means that your peak flow score is 80-100% of your personal best score. ![]() According to the American Lung Association, here are what the three zones are and what they mean: Some doctors will refer to different colored zones when working with a patient who uses a peak flow meter. Malhotra says this is crucial so you know if you need to use your inhaler, nebulizer, or call your doctor to get urgent assistance if you are scoring a low peak flow score. It's important to keep track of your scores so you know what's normal for you. The Asthma Initiative of Michigan has a useful template for how to track PF scores, which you can download here. Use the highest of the three readings as your PF score, and take note of that in your asthma (or COPD or CF) diary.Repeat steps one through six two more times, so you have a total of three readings.Write down the value that you score for L/Min.Breathe out with maximum effort, as hard and fast as you can, until you've run out of air in your lungs and can't breathe out anymore.Place the mouthpiece in your mouth and seal your lips around it.Start fresh by sliding the arrow marker to zero, or the base of the scale.Ask your doctor how often many times a day you should use your peak flow meter. ![]() But if you are having more lung trouble than usual, you may have to use the device more often. The best time to take your peak flow levels is in the morning before you take your asthma medications. Getting a low peak flow reading can indicate that your condition is worsening or that your airways are narrowing. Otherwise, a poor receiver may not notice if their condition is worsening and it could lead to episodes of difficulty breathing like an asthma attack. It's especially important for these people to use their peak flow meters regularly, says Atul Malhotra MD, Research Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at UC San Diego Health. Peak flow meters are especially helpful for people who are " poor perceivers," meaning that they have trouble identifying the signs of a worsening lung condition without a clear metric.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |