MarvB,
Not to bypass Christine's post, but I’m going to bed, and not sure when I’ll be online next.
I don’t recall them being a concern, at least now. I sleep on an incline bed at home, and probably was in the hospital. They have a little humidifier they put on the stoma site, so that helps. You’re pretty much out of it the first couple of days, I was, and pain meds help (morphine), but around the 4th day I was eating a pureed meal, sutting out of bed, so breathing wasn’t too much a concern as I recall. Plus, there was several nurse assigned to the 4 bed step down room, which is like ICU, and all were very attentive, and just waved someone over if needed.
I hope this helps, and was just my experience as I recall.