I am a physician who became a neck breather because of cancer. I realized that many Emergency Room and EMT perssonel do not know how to appropriately deliver oxygen and resusitate neck breathers. It happened to me when I needed such care.
To try to correct this I prepared an educational slide presentation that can be downloaded from this site: http://dribrook.blogspot.com
It is up to neck breathers to attempt to educate those who may need to care for us. I suggest that those who are interested show that presentation to their local rescue teams ( in local fire stations) so that they will be reminded how to care for them in case of breathing difficulties.
DrIBrook

Hi,

Thanks for preparing that presentation. It is much needed. Not only do the Emergency Room and EMT need training, but the nurses and other personell monitoring our oxygen intake in the operating room. Having informed everyone in OR that I am NECK BREATHER, I have twice had people attempt to attach the oxygen to my nose and unable to figure out what they were doing wrong when I resisted. Fortunateley both times I was awake and didn't really needed it, but what if I wasn't. Scary!

I read with interest your chapter 14 and was amazed at how much easier my surgery experience was in comparison to yours. I got lucky and did not need to the free flap so no arm or leg problems to heal. They were also able to place my voice prosthesis in at the time of the surgery. My total laryngectomy, partial thyroid and parathyroidectomy with modified left neck dissection took 14 hours. I was only in hospital 5 days and was able to speak after two weeks. What a frustrating experience it is to be without a voice as you so aptly describe. I also was not given an electrolarynx because my speech therapist went on vacation and forgot. This is also the same guy who forgets to give me the brush to clean and unblock the voice prosthesis so I wound up getting it changed once a week for 3 weeks because it was either leaking or blocked. Fortunately for us, neither of ours failed. I know quite a few laryngectomees whose TEPs fail and land on a PEG tube for life. My surgeon didn't ell me this until years later, but apparently the failure rate for this surgery is around 40%.

Good luck to you in your endeavors and let's hope this cancer is behind us.

Take care,
Eileen