> I have had a trach for the past three years due to having polio in 1952
>.. My throat muscles were getting really weak and the trach has helped
>breathing so much..
Judy, I'm really glad to meet you! I, too, had polio in '52 at age 7. I was
trached in January, 1989 for the same reasons that you were. Oh what a
difference a trach has made in my life! When I made the decision to go this
route, I was just hoping that it would save my life, but it did much more than
that...it gave me a life! My life today is much fuller than it was for years
before I got my trach. Of course, I have all kinds of physical limitations
which I have to cope with and respect; however, my health is a lot better and
I can actually be more active today.
How much time during the day do you spend on your vent? I hook up to my vent
when I go to bed at night or whenever I need to lie down to rest during the
day. I have a cuffed trach tube. When I'm off the vent, I deflate the cuff and
plug off my trach tube. I can breathe normally this way. It's just when I lie
down or sleep that my breathing quits.
> I have a lot of problems with it and have to go the doctor to have the
>extra tissue taken off about every three months. He did burn it off, but
>I prefer the acid and have convinced him that works better. He takes the
>trach out to do this and the hole wants to close in less than 15 minutes
>and he has a hard time getting it back in..
>Does any others have these problem and if so how do they have it taken
>care of.
I have had 2 surgeries to remove the scar tissue, but in each case it grew
back immediately. Because the scar tissue only seems to be around the stoma
and not on the inside of my trachea, it really doesn't cause me any trouble
and I don't plan to have any more surgeries for this. It just makes changing
the trach tube a little more difficult. There is some pain when my husband
shoves it in, and it bleeds; however, both the bleeding and the pain only last
momentarily. Then everything is cool. What kind of trach tube do you use? Mine
is a Concord Portex BlueLine Cuffed, size 6.
> I change my own trach twice a week and that took awhile to get use to,
>but now doesn't bother me..
Wow, Judy! I'm impressed! I don't change my own trach AT ALL!!! My husband
does it for me. And I only change mine about once every 2 months! I do my own
suctioning, cleaning the stoma, etc.; however, I have not had the courage or
the gumption to change my own trach tube! It takes a lot of force to ram that
thing into place! Better my husband do it than me!!! :-)
It is so interesting meeting other polio survivors with trachs...there aren't
that many of us. It's especially interesting because each one of us is so
different. I hope that someone here can help you find answers to your
questions about removing the extra tissue.
My best to all,
Carol