Inserting a trache and hospital transfer, please HELP!!!

First off, a patient will always receive better care when in ICU than when on the floor. That is just the nature of intensive care; less patients per nurse. And there are good & bad nurses in every hospital. In April my husband’s appendix burst & after surgery he was put into the cardiac ward because the gastric ward was full. Anyways, he was very sick for 10 days afterward & I got a chance to see just how overworked the nurses were there; they were literally running. I was so glad then that I had been a teacher & not a nurse.

If your dad feels more comfortable being in the VA Hospital, I would leave him for now. At least he has the assurance of not having to worry about medical bills later on. If you transfer him, he could lose everything he has worked all of his life for. Trust me, they do come after you diligently for their medical bills once you leave the hospital. Your Profile mentions that he has a ranch, maybe he is afraid of losing that? BTW we all have horror stories from every hospital we have stayed in, at least I certainly do.

Trach is good, it isn’t for life-just until he gets off the vent. It is inserted into his windpipe through a incision in his throat/neck area. It just makes the vent alittle more comfortable for your Dad. They also have talking valves, so he can communicate with people. I would keep on the nurses, report the bad ones to the supervisor, or higher if you have to. You are your Dad’s care advocates right now, insist on good care. Moving him could cause more stress on your Dad, which is the main thing you want to avoid, keep your Dad in the loop of decisions. Insure your Dad the wrath won’t come to him if he or you stick up for his rights to good care. As Pam mentioned, we All have horror stories of our hospital stays, to one extent or the other. If there are certain nurses that are rude to your Dad, have those nurses reassigned, you have the right to request nurses be removed from your Dad’s care. If you have questions for the Dr, then request the head nurse call him, so you can talk things over with him. The drs would rather explain their methods to madness before hand, then face the family afterwards. Ask All the questions you have, and if you don’t like the answers, let it be known. A positive environment at All times is important for a good recovery. If your Dad has pain, make sure he is being treated for it. Alot of people use gabapentin(neurontin) or Lyrica for nerve pain. Touch can cause alot of pain, if your Dad is sensative to massages then stop the massages-they aren’t that important! Physical therapy-range of motion is important everyday for a few mins a day. I wouldn’t worry too much about the bms, his nerves control the gastro system, they can be affected-mine were. Take care.

Hey, I had a trache with my GBS. I know that getting off the vent and receiving a trache is a step in the right direction. When I had a trache it had to be “downsized” and that had to be one of the most awkward experiences of my life 😮

i had a trachy and believe me it was so much better than being intubated. While i had the tube i felt like it was always making me gag and i was constantly trying to move it around in my mouth. Once the tube is out of your mouth you can start trying to mouth words etc. I had the trachy for 3 weeks and was gradually weaned off the vent. I started talking again and I was able to start eating again while i still had the trachy. It was also a lot easier to cough and clear my chest with the trachy and meant a lot less suctioning which is always a good thing. It really made me feel a lor more human. I know some people do have permanent trachies but i think that is only when they have permanent breathing difficulties. As long as the breathing muscles continue to improve there is no reason to think that it will be a lifelong thing.

I still have a scar from my trachy about 5cm long but i think that is larger than usual as i developed an infection. To me it is like a badge of honour and reminds me of what i have survived.

It could be stress, or fear. Being on a ventilator, and having a tracheotomety is serious and maybe he’s realizing what happened to him. All you guys can do is to stay positive, and really watch and monitor what the doctors and nurses do to him…i.e making sure they clean the trache so it wont get infected.

When I was in I had good days and bad days. I will say that once I got a trach I had alot more good days and It was a big plus to be able to talk. I only had it in for about a week and then I was able to breathe on my own. It was a big step in my recovery.

My daughter (33 yrs. old) was intubated for several weeks, then because it was expected she’d require ventilator assistance for an extended time, had a tracheostomy. The blessing of the trach is that it freed up her mouth and lips, thereby allowing communication to begin. NOT being able to communicate was terrifying and frustrating to her, as it may be for your dad.

Vent weaning was easier with the trach. And, as someone else mentioned, once the person is stronger, various speaking valves can also be used to begin verbalization.

As for tranfer, confidence in the facility, doctors, and nursing staff is key. If the patient is confident in the overall care, then as hard as it is for the family, it’s best if they are supportive of the patient’s decision. (I was the person who wanted my daughter to receive care elsewhere. However, despite some bad nurses and doctors, she had confidence in the hospital.)