Before having the tracheostomy surgery, I talked to numerous people about getting a trach. I cannot tell you how many people told me I should not get a trach. "They are dangerous. There are lots of complications. You will be susceptible to lots of infections." These warnings instilled a bit of apprehension in my decision to have the surgery. Would this surgery be a total disaster?
Now that I have had the surgery and have recovered, let me say this surgery has been a piece of cake. In terms of pain, I do not think my pain level ever was above a 6-7, with a 10 being extreme pain. In terms of surgeries I have had gall bladder removal, pancreas surgery, intestinal feeding tube placement, ruptured ovarian cyst removal and wisdom teeth extraction--all been far more painful than this procedure. The biggest obstacle to overcome at first is trying not to move. With a freshly placed trach, the slightest movement of the tube causes a lot of irritation in the respiratory trach which leads to coughing spells. The coughing spells dislodge mucus which then can clog your airways.
In terms of having a trach, the care and maintenance of it is quite simple. The trach has an inner cannula which needs to be taken out and cleaned 1-2 times a day. Cleaning is easy. I pull out the cannula and throw it in a hydrogen peroxide and water solution. I use a brush to scrub away any mucus. I then leave the old cannula in the solution for several hours until I need it for the next cannula change. In the meantime, I insert a clean cannula into my trach.
If I feel as though there is mucus in my lungs, I have a suction machine. A thin flexible plastic tube is inserted into my lungs. When the tube starts making me cough, I turn on the suction machine and start pulling out the plastic tube. The suction machine does an excellent job at clearing away mucus deep in my lungs. Since I still have a good cough reflex, most of the mucus in my lungs is coughed up. I simply unhooked the ventilator tubing from my trach, place a Q-tip in my trach hole and cough. Mucus comes shooting out and gets caught by the Q-tip.
As far as other things which need to be done, the humidifier must always have water in it. When the water is low, open the humidifier and pour in distilled water. I also have a neck tie which holds the trach tube in place. This should be replaced once a week. Lastly, the ventilator tubing which needs to be changed once every two weeks.
There are many things I have been warned to stay away from--smoke, aerosols, perfume, sick people, crowds, etc. However, since I have a very limited life due to severe fatigue, this has been relatively easy.
When compared to other medical devices, having a ventilator and trach has been relatively easy. I used to have an intestinal feeding tube. I constantly had issues with the feeding tube leaking. (Let's just say, partially digested feeding tube formula mixed with intestinal juice is VERY smelly!!! Moreover, the feeding tube leakage burned any skin it came in contact with.) I also once had a peripherally placed catheter. The constant pain associated with this tube in my arm was mind-numbing. The line required constant attention--cleaning, saline flushes and heparin flushes. My line developed an infection and blood clots. I still remember vividly the day I was able to get the line pulled. Hallelujah! That nightmare is over!
Perhaps getting a trach might be overwhelming for some folks, but for me, the few extra minutes it takes to care for my trach is nothing compared to the tremendous aid the trach provides in helping me breathe. Praise be to God for the tracheostomy procedure and invasive ventilation. It is such a blessing to be able to breathe with ease! "My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long" (Psalm 71:8).
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