<<Also do any of you have a sense of anxiety when it is time to go out. I
deal with it and keep it in check..but even after four years of trach and
vent I get a bit anxious.>>
Hi Annette and Everybody,
The best time for me is morning. This is when I'm feeling the strongest and
when I try to plan most of my activities. If I have to do errands, I try to
get them done then if at all possible. I can still go out at other times of
the day, but evenings are difficult simply because I'm tired. If I know that
I have to do something special at night, I make an effort to plan ahead by
getting enough rest during the day.
As you must know by now, I am on my vent only when I lie down to rest or at
night for sleeping. At other times my cuff is deflated and the trach tube is
plugged. Usually the only times that I really need to suction is when I get
up in the mornings; coming off the vent and deflating the cuff activates all
of those secretions. Unless I have a cold, I don't need to be close to a
suction machine. I can come and go quite freely. However, I always have my
Q-tips and kleenex close at hand -- in my purse or in the car!! If I have any
secretions while driving or even in a store, I just remove the plug and
BLOW!!! :-)
As for anxiety about going out, I really don't have any unless I have a cold
or the last remnants of one. I am in and out and about a lot. I go to a
12-Step meeting almost daily, and I'm my daughter's private taxi cab driver!!
She does a lot of running for me; for example I'll pull up at the P.O. and
she'll run in to buy stamps. That saves a lot of wear and tear on me; it's
surprising how much energy it takes just getting in and out of the car. She's
been doing things like this for me ever since she was old enough to go into a
store by herself.
I have to be careful because it's easy for me to get overly committed, and
then I suffer for it later. Another thing that wears me out is the intensity
with which I go about everything in my life, including ridiculous things like
brushing my teeth! Sometimes I'll catch myself in this overdrive mode, and I
have to make every effort to slow myself down. In these ways I have often
been my own worst enemy. At the moment I am overwhelmed with work. I'm in the
process of marketing a book that I self-published, I'm getting ready for a
craft fair next month, and I'm starting my own little desktop publishing
business in my home. I have to slow myself down, and take everything one step
at a time or else I'll get so worn down that I'll get sick. This kind of
anxiety which I create for myself is what I have to deal with on a daily
basis.
Anyway I think that I've gotten off the track here, Annette. So I guess I'll
close for now! :-)
Carol Meyer