The medical group that my doctor belongs to has been sending out a newsletter every couple of weeks since the Covid started and the following info pertaining to clearing the gunk out of your lungs was in one of the earlier issues.
"As a medical student in the ‘70's at the VA Hospital, I would need to get up at 3 AM to perform an order for "Pulmonary Toilet.” In the 21st Century, political correctness renamed the process “Pulmonary Hygiene.” Either way, it’s getting the yucky mucus out of the lungs.
The premise is simple- put a glass of water on your front porch. In a few days, it turns brown, and has little things swimming around in it. But a garden hose trickling for days stays clear. Stagnant fluid in the lungs turns badly infected, and needs to be removed. Here are the three processes we teach--they should be done 3-4 times a day.
TURN, COUGH, AND DEEP BREATHE- Lie in bed on your right side, cough hard, take a deep breath, and turn to your left side and repeat. Do this for 5 minutes. Imagine trying to get honey from the bottom of a jar to the sides. Same idea.
INCENTIVE SPIROMETRY- If you have one of those gadgets with balls that rise as you take a deep breath; perfect. Otherwise, improvise by exhaling totally, take as deep a breath as deeply as possible, hold it for 5-10 seconds, exhale, and repeat the process for 5 minutes. We need the airways open, and this accomplishes that.
PERCUSSION AND DRAINAGE- Again we improvise for home use. You'll need a partner wearing PPE (protective personal equipment). They cup each hand and begin playing the bongos on your back as you lie over a table with your shirt off. They should pound fairly hard. After about a minute, they should leave the room as you cough deeply to remove as much fluid as possible. Repeat the process for five minutes or more."
The medical group that my doctor belongs to has been sending out a newsletter every couple of weeks since the Covid started and the following info pertaining to clearing the gunk out of your lungs was in one of the earlier issues.
"As a medical student in the ‘70's at the VA Hospital, I would need to get up at 3 AM to perform an order for "Pulmonary Toilet.” In the 21st Century, political correctness renamed the process “Pulmonary Hygiene.” Either way, it’s getting the yucky mucus out of the lungs.
The premise is simple- put a glass of water on your front porch. In a few days, it turns brown, and has little things swimming around in it. But a garden hose trickling for days stays clear. Stagnant fluid in the lungs turns badly infected, and needs to be removed. Here are the three processes we teach--they should be done 3-4 times a day.
TURN, COUGH, AND DEEP BREATHE- Lie in bed on your right side, cough hard, take a deep breath, and turn to your left side and repeat. Do this for 5 minutes. Imagine trying to get honey from the bottom of a jar to the sides. Same idea.
INCENTIVE SPIROMETRY- If you have one of those gadgets with balls that rise as you take a deep breath; perfect. Otherwise, improvise by exhaling totally, take as deep a breath as deeply as possible, hold it for 5-10 seconds, exhale, and repeat the process for 5 minutes. We need the airways open, and this accomplishes that.
PERCUSSION AND DRAINAGE- Again we improvise for home use. You'll need a partner wearing PPE (protective personal equipment). They cup each hand and begin playing the bongos on your back as you lie over a table with your shirt off. They should pound fairly hard. After about a minute, they should leave the room as you cough deeply to remove as much fluid as possible. Repeat the process for five minutes or more."
Best of luck. I hope this helps your wife.