The Vest

At her last appointment the respiratory therapist came in the room with a tape measure and put it around Anna's chest then announced that she was big enough for "The Vest".  I was shocked. I was told that she would not get a vest until she was two or even three years old.  The therapist handed me a paper that I signed and two days letter The Vest arrived via Fed Ex in a large box that sat by the front door for another three days until a respiratory therapist from the company who makes the vest could come to my house to show me how to use it for Anna's therapy. 

The Vest System: a machine (compressor) attached to a vest which a patient wears during respiratory therapy to aid in clearing unwanted mucus out of the lungs. The vest (which looks like a life jacket) inflates and then proceeds to shake at 10hz (for 20 min.) The goal is for the shaking to cause mucus in the smaller airways to move to the larger airways where it can be more easily coughed up.

Even before her first therapy session with The Vest I had mixed feelings. I felt protective, I felt concerned, I felt anxious, I felt displaced, I felt unsure, I felt defeated- as I faced again the reality of what her life will be like as she lives cystic fibrosis...

Anna took this new step in her therapy better than I did. She let me put on the little pink vest and didn't fuss at all as the therapist adjusted it to her tiny chest. I put on one of her favorite videos and she was distracted as the vest filled up with air and squeezed her, though she looked at me a few times for reassurance. I faked my smiles.  Then it was time to push the button for it to vibrate.  It shook her whole body. Her little cheeks were shaking up and down. Her arms bounced off the sides of her body. I looked down and even her feet were shaking.  She just kept watching the video. Once or twice the hoses popped off and had to be readjusted. It looked to me like her eyes were starting to water but she never cried. She was incredible.

So, now we have The Vest. I feel like it is another member of the family or something. It will be with us forever. Maybe we should name it- Olga? Bertha? Helga? What do you think?