Hi, Missy,

The nurses should teach you how to perform trach care. It will seem scary at first but you will be helping your husband and that will feel good. Trach care involves removing part of the trach, suctioning the airway with sterile water and the suction machine, cleaning the trach with a special kit and sterile water, and then placing the clean trach back into the opening.

It will take some practice but the nurses will make sure you are comfortable doing it before your husband is discharged. You will receive all the necessary equipment to do this at home. Just relax and know that you are helping your husband get well.

I found it very empowering to be able to assist my husband with his care. You will very likely be doing other things for him once you get home. So while he is in the hospital, learn all you can. I created a daily chart to help me stay organized. It helped me know when to give meds, do trach care, feeding, and wound care. The visiting nurse will help, but in our case, she only came twice a week. The rest of the time, I did everything.

If you want any more help, please ask. I'd be happy to email you my chart as a sample. Just PM me with your email.

Best,
Anita