Dad’s surgery for trach today

Sabrina,

Let us know when you get back.

Sabrina,
You and your entire family will be in my prayer. Keep us advised how thing are going

Glad to hear All is well Sabrina. Please keep us updated when you can.

Sabrina,
Hopefully things will continue to improve. You and your family will remain in my prayers each day.

I’m not exactly sure how it works. I can remember they took my sutures out after so many days because they were starting to look a bit “angry”. Obviously they are not required to hold the trachy in. There is also a velcro collar that i think helps hold it in place. I ended up with an infection. I never actually saw it and had trouble understanding what it looked like but apparently the wound was quite open and i couldnt have the trachy out until it healed otherwise air would escape???? So i had an open wound all the way to the trachy yet it didnt fall out? I ended up with a scar about 2 inches long. The trachy itself is much smaller isnt it? When they took the trachy out they just let it heal by itself so obviously thse things heal pretty well.

Sorry not much help but thought i would let you know that despite problems i had it really wasnt too big a deal.

As for his emotional state, it sounds quite normal to me. I had days when i really felt like it would never be over and i didnt have the strength to fight anymore. A couple of times i really felt it would be easier just to refuse treatment and curl up and die … but of course you dont, you deal with each day as it comes and try not to look too far ahead as that will just do your head in. Let him know that there are others here who have been down the same path and have survived to tell our stories.

I think of your father quite often and wonder how he is going (please let him know that his progress is being followed as far away as Australia!)

Hello. we are glad you Dad is looking better. This is by far the most important point of all and tell him that. Your last post sounded like he had some of his feistiness back and that it always also a good sign of an upward slope to the healing curve. Also remind him that the people here say that GBS stands for Getting Better Slowly. Remind him of some of the positives of this week–that he did so well with the trach, etc.

I do not know a whole lot about trachs, but usually head and neck procedures heal really fast because of all the good blood supply there and so sutures, etc can be removed rapidly. My guess is that, for your Dad, the ENT doctors decided to be a little careful and leave the sutures just a little longer so that this could heal just a little more before the next step. This might help it also to bleed a little less. A lot of times medical people have a general time plan, but modify it a little to fit the individual patient’s needs.

Tell your Dad that we are all routing for him and his family that loves him so much. You are in our prayers. Hang in there, all of you!

Deannie
With hope for cure of these diseases.

Sabrina I know it is hard to keep things possitive when someone seems to be fighting you. But remember that without being able to speak it is frustrating. Not seeing being home anytime soon is depressing. Seeing your friends and family having to put so much time into coming to see you struggle each day is a daily effort that drains every ounce of hope things can get better soon. All of you have to take care of yourselves and keep a smile on your faces and that should not be hard when you see him getting better and stronger each visit. Yep it does mean getting better slowly, but that means nothing to someone that is on the inside hoping to get out soon! They want dates they can come home. They want times set that they can expect big changes. They want to be home yesterday! They have no patience. Your job is to keep things possitive and not sweat the small stuff. I had my stitches in the whole time I had my trache. I had a trache fail on me and had to have it replaced because it moved. So don’t be in a big hurry to see those stitches be removed. I did not have the trache removed until I was almost ready to come home. They waited to see how I did with rehab and exercise. You don’t want to have a setback happen and have to have a trache or feeding tube have to be put back in. The next step you should be looking for with the trache is when his oxygen levels are more stable and he is able to breath thru his nose and not have to use the trache as much. Then they will put the speaking valve on the trache and that will give him much deserved freedom of speech! Then you will have to listen to his complaining. There will be times when he will be so frustrated and home sick that he will be nasty. That is stress working on his attitude. Just turn it all around and talk possitive.

As far as the bleeding goes that is common and that why the RT will come in the morning and evening and clean around the trache. Wait till he gets the trache out and for a few days until the opening heals shut. Weird noises will come out of that hole that cracked us all up. I had a habit as I turned in bed to sit up I would hold my breath. Well with that pressure and that opening I made farting sounds from my throat! Good thing they sounded like a duck quacking. Remember and remind him that it can always be worse! I think his progression is really on the right track and as this illness starts to reverse itsself things will start to happen quicker and he will have brags each day to tell you about. They will be litlte brags, but a brag is a brag! Hang in there and let us know if you have any other questions. Remember there is no stupid questions and if it is important to you, it is important to us to give you an answer or suggestion. Keep up the great work of being your Dad’s advocate and looking out for him.