I know things got easier for me with the trach when I started picking up the suction gizmo and using it myself -- Ask early on for some assistance in using it -- The worst part was that between the call button (which also had the TV remote on it) and the suction gizmo I was always losing one or the other...

The respiratory techs were really good about coming in on a schedule and making me cough to clear it. Also, I had an oxygen blood level alarm hooked up, so if anything had gone wrong the alarm would have been beeping.

In the beginning, there was a lot of problems trying to get out of bed because there were so many tubes (NGT feeder, IV feeder) and drains (neck and wrist) and trach oxygen dangling off me that I was afraid to move (esp the NGT because it was secured by three sutures through my septum, so disturbing it hurt).