-> Heres a scenario for you all. I live with my parents and have nurses
-> during the day and my mother sleeps on a couch at night near my room.
-> An intercom is used but my mother has a slight hearing problem. Last
-> night my tubing detached itself and I found myself in respiratory
-> distress and my mother did not hear the vent alarms for a long time.
-> Suffice it to say I thought I was going to die. Is there anyone in a
-> similar situation?
I have! One time my trach piece came off my throat, and my alarm
went on for nearly 45 minutes before my mom woke up. She sleeps in the
bedroom next to mine. If I need something, I just yell for her. I have
an intercom too, but I rarely use it. Needless to say, I was also
scared s**tless!
-> experienced a similar episode? What is a good way to prevent these
-> experiences? I've had 3 since being on a vent? 11 years this
-> Christmas.
The way to prevent this from this from happening is make sure
your air hose circuit is put tighty together. Double check everything
before sleeping. As for the trach, use a rubber band, or "freddy" to
hold the trach piece securly to the trach tube. This will prevent it
from "blowing off" as sometimes happens. Their are some commercial
brands of "freddies". Sorry, I don't know the names or addresses of any
companies, but if I remember right, James Lubin posted one a couple of
months ago.
Another suggestion, modify your intercom so it will beep. Mine
beeps quite loudly. Some intercoms allow you to adjust the volume of
the beep. Adjust it according to your mother's hearing impairment. I've
had this happen only once when it became an emergency. I've been on a
vent since 1982.
Hope this helps!
Blane
:)