Hello to all. I'm not sure how to address this. I have searched the site, but not found this exact problem. My brother has what he calls "plugs" - a thick mucous that won't come up through his trach. I read the inter tube can be removed, but that has not helped. This one has been causing problems for about 3 days. We're running a humidifier and he is taking a decongestant but neither are helping. Any suggestions? It's really beginning to affect the way he is feeling - of course I think all the coughing the wheezing has worn him out. Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.
P.S. All else is going well.
Thanks,
Tonya

Hi Tonya,

Does your brother have a suction machine? When my husband had his trach they also gave us a suction machine and it worked great. The machine has a long tube that you can put inside the trach to suck out the mucus. He used it all the time, especially at night. Our insurance covered it too, and we "rented" it for the time he had the trach. Not sure what kind of a trach your brother has, but my husband's trach tube could be removed. I would clean it every day to make sure mucus wouldn't get clogged in the tube. Hope this helps and good luck!

Shelley

He does have the suction machine and has been cleaning the trach - he can pull out the smaller inner tube. Maybe this will clear up soon. Thanks,
Tonya

Tonya
How far out from surgery is he? I had PT to teach me to cough all the gunk out of my lungs in one go and then they would suction it all out and clean the tube. For me the issue was the mucous in my lungs from a twelve hour op. If I could have a really good coughing bout I could then be clear for a few hours until it built up again, it all settled down after a few weeks, hope this helps...
Sunshine...love and hugs
Helen

Tonya,
I have a permanent trach so don't know if that is different. Mucous is worst after I get up in the am. If he leans over when he coughs, it helps to get it up. Also, if it is coming up in strings, use a long handled Qtip, put it in hole in neck horizontal to floor and cough. He should be able to catch the string on the Qtip and then wind it out of the neck. Also, does he have the pink saline squirts? Squirting some of this down neck helps loosen the mucous. The less he has to use to suction machine, the better as it irritates the trach. A good hot shower in the morning with the bathroom door closed is also good for loosing up the stuff. If he can't shower himself just yet, sit in the bathroom with all the moisture after someone else has showered. Hope some of this helps.

Take care,
Eileen

Tonya, Wow do I know how he feels. I had my trach for 10 months, felt like forever. I used to take it out of my neck completely and with it would usually come the "plugs". I would leave mine out sometimes. It would just get so exhausting constantly trying to get that "crap" up and out. I hated that DAMN thing more than anything. I tried the humidifier. I tried the run the shower on hot with the door shut. I tried it all. I am sure so have ya'll...I am thinking of you that is a promise. There is nothing like that,,,nothing,Best of Luck with it,,Miss Vicki

Thank you all so much. We finally had success this time. He had to cough for four days, but thank God it's out. He did have to remove his collar. I found he had not been using the saline solution as often as he should and big sister cleaned his plow for that (ever so gently, of course). I will recommend the steam shower the next go around and leaning over when he coughs. He is 2 months out from surgery. He has had horrible headaches and we were sent to a local pain clinic which suggested a nerve blocking shot that would bring relief for a few months. His wife is in the process of seeing if that is okay with MD Anderson. Have any of you had the shot? What's the opinion on it?
Thinking of you all,
Tonya

Hi Tonya,
Are they saying what is causing your brother to have such horrible headaches?? Knowing what was causing the pain would help me form an opinion on using this shot or not.
Take care,
Minnie

They think it is from a nerve. His cancer had eaten into and wrapped around several nerves before it was removed. He was on a medicine that had a heavy Tylenol base, but they didn't want to use it any more because of possible liver damage down the line. This past week I noticed him holding his face and head quite often, then Saturday he would just have to lay face down on the bed and hold his head in his hands. He has a very high pain tolerance and he said on a scale of 1-10 it was an 8 - so for me, who just has a normal pain tolerance, it would have been at least a 20 on that 10 point scale. Anyway, I think he will get the shot today maybe.
Thanks,
Tonya

Tonya,

I'm glad David got the mucous cleared up. Just a word of caution on cleaning the trach. We cleaned Heather's twice a day, even if she wasn't having trouble. The key to preventing trouble was keeping up with routine maintenance. Cleaning it daily and using the saline regularly were very important. We also discovered it is not usually a good idea to leave the small inner trach tube out. When the gunk builds up in the large tube, it is much harder to clean. Take the small tube out, clean it and put it back in. You can avoid some major problems this way. Heather also for awhile had a "mist machine". With it on, a mist went directly in the trach keeping things moist all the time. Sometimes she only needed it for a few hours. Other times she would keep it on longer. If David does his maintenance and still has problems, you should ask the doctor about the machine.

I think getting the nerve block is a good idea and hopefully it will help. Please let us know the results. If it doesn't control the pain, there may be something else going on that the docs need to address.

Rosie