Hey, Jorden. When my husband had his 2nd surgery the Docs informed us that he would have a trach because of the likelihood of gross swelling in his throat. I was terrified while John just said "O.K.". We had a dry erase board and pens and a small notebook on his bedside tray for the 1st 24 hrs. because it was hard to understand him, but that got better daily. The day he left the hospital, they took the big trach out, put a small one in that he could talk easily with [when he remembered to cover the hole in it,] showed us how to keep everything clean, etc. In two weeks, they took that one out and we just kept the hole clean as it sealed up. It was not near as scary as I had envisioned and very manageable. I would, however, write down the instructions for keeping the area clean throughout the time you have it. It's a great excuse NOT to have to talk to anyone you don't want to talk to! Amy in the Ozarks