I've had to get out my nebulizer after it had been packed away for quite some time. I'm rediscovering what I learned a couple years ago: I cannot comfortably use a nebulizer mouthpiece.

That is all that came with me nebulizer. I still have the mask that I brought home from a hospital stay a couple years ago, but it was supposed to be disposable and it's rather worse for the wear.

I wonder if this is a common problem?

Trying to breathe deeply through my mouth while there's something in it and my lips are held apart just doesn't come easily. I do a lot running and yoga, particularly since I was diagnosed, and I'm always so aware of my breathe. When breathing is more difficult, I always exhale through lips held close together, which I understand helps helps the lungs more inflated, by maintaining pressure, or something along those lines.

In any case, while I'm not clear on the mechanism, it sure works for me.

I'm actually using the nebulizer as a precaution--I have a sinus infection and have been feeling pretty low, so I started checking peak flow and I'm near the bottom of my "yellow" range. Aside from a lot of coughing and such, I hadn't noticed my difficulty breathing--until I tried using the mouthpiece on the nebulizer. Then I couldn't breathe well at all. Very strange.