Re: APRIL COVER STORY: THE VENT LIFE

James Lubin (jlubin(AT)eskimo.com)
Thu, 23 May 1996 02:15:50 -0700 (PDT)

>
>Finally, says Bach, quality of life can't be
>ignored when discussing noninvasive
>ventilator options. In a 1993 Chest article,
>he reported that among 168 vent users who
>switched from tracheostomy to noninvasive
>methods, 100 percent preferred the latter.
>Most cited health reasons, but also
>significant were increased ability to talk,
>swallow and taste.
>
>"You can't taste or smell when you have a
>trach because the air isn't passing through
>the nose," Bach explains. "Eighty percent of
>taste is smell. If you close your nose, you
>can't tell the difference between bananas
>and mustard."

I can't smell except when I'm being suctioned, but I can definately taste. I
have no problem talking or swallowing either. I use a passe-mur one-way
valve all day but take it out when I sleep, maybe that makes the differance.

Jim Lubin
jlubin(AT)eskimo.com
http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin
disAbility Resource Page: http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled.html