Re: Lifesaver
Becky Harry (skoots(AT)worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 04 Oct 1997 13:45:33 -0400
Val,
I am so glad your friend Lillie changed her mind and has decided to get
the trach, I know I wouldn't trade my trach and vent for anything. The
frist time I was trached was when I was 12-13 yrs old. I had to have
surgery to repair a fistula that reoccured.(Was born with TracheoEsophgeal
Fistula, and was originally repair shortly after birth, but left me with
chronic lung problems) I was being weened off the vent and was having
trouble breathing so they trached me..had it about 2yrs and finally about
to get rid of it. At that time it was just to help me untill I got my
strength back. I was doing well for awhile, but when I reached my senior
year of high school, I got a very bad case of pnemonia, and almost died
from it. They intubated me, and was on the vent for a week when the doc
said he would like to put my trach back in..that was last thing i wanted!
I was 18 yrs old, i didn't want some plastic tube stuck in my neck, but I
was to sick to argue and had it done. The doctor told me later the reason i
got pnemonia was because my Co2 level were very high, i was retaining Co2.
I didn't have the lung power to rid my body of the Co2 so I need the vent
to help, after a week on it at the hospital i was felt i was ready to
conquer the world but I knew i had a long way to go. I came home after a
month in the hopital, with my PLV-100. We decided I need to be on the vent
at nite when sleeping or taking naps. During the day I cap my trach and
breathe on my own. Was the hardest decision i ever had to make, and I
fought it all the way. I was using my vent only every other night even
though the doc really wanted me to use it every nite. I did starting
noticing the difference between when i used the vent and didn't. With it I
had so much more energy and felt great, when i didn't use it I felt
sluggish and had headaches, so I finally said enough and started using it
everynite. It was a hell of a year for me, but i look back over the last 6
years of my life and I am greatful now that I made that choice because with
out my vent and trach I wouldn't be here. If I had to do it again I would,
Life is so worth it!!
Huggs,
Becky