How do you breath with a trache? can you still breath thru the nose and mouth? How do you eat and talk?

Thanks
LisaB

Lisa, My husband has a trach and he uses it as a backup. It was an emergency thing because at one point he could not breath because his right tonsil was so badly swollen and blocked his breathing. With treatment the swelling has went down and he can breath now on his own. He breathes through his nose and mouth. He eats as normal. Depending on the design of the trach he speaks with no problem. If the cannula which is inserted in the trach has holes in it I was told the person could not speak.

Lisa
you breathe through the trach, initially after surgery it is the only way you can breathe, quite often. I found that for at least a week post surgery, I couldn't get any air through my mouth and nose due to the swelling.

After a week they changed out the trach and put in one that had a variable sized cannula. This served to gradually restrict the airflow through the trach, and reduce dependency on it.

After a couple of days I was able to draw as much breath through my nose as through the trach. They removed it the next day.

As a point of interest, the trach opening is not sutured. It seals and heals closed very quickly. I had to wear an adhesive seal over it for a few days while the healing commenced, and within a week, it was completely closed over
Wayne

Thanks. Well my Dad is considering one as a back up. He had the bilateral ND back in March. He's been having some breathing issues. When things swell or get tight and now he has a cold and was choking on phlegm. It's very scary for him.

How does the trach work with phlegm?

Thanks again
LisaB

Hi Lisa, My dad just had a bar removed from his jaw that was rejecting. He had pneumonia when he went in for surgery from swallowing water and it going down the wrong pipe into his lungs. He was very swollen in the neck, tonsils, throat. He got a trach. It has helped him a lot the last two weeks. He was getting tons of phlem and he coughed up what he could and the respiratory therapist sucked the rest out throught the trach. Fast forward to yesterday, my dad had it taken out, and in about an hour felt short of breath and had to put it back in.
Like the peg tube (leave it in!) I would rather have the trach for piece of mind and convience than not to have it and need it in an emergency situation. Good luck with whatever you do.

Lisa
They don't put in a trach with the same ease or frequency as they do a PEG. It is a surgical procedure, done under general anaesthetic.

As such they would not likely do one as a convenience measure. There is considerable ongoing care needed. It has to be kept clean, which is something that you would have to do every few hours. This is not a simple "wipe it off" issue; the cannula has to be removed, suction applied, the cannula washed and scrubbed, re-inserted, etc.

Also, once you have become dependant on it, it can be quite difficult to wean off of it. Your Dad's Doctors would be the ones to talk to about this in much greater detail. Many are quite reluctant to use trachs unless they are really needed
Wayne

Lisa, here's yet another experience with a trach, if you haven't read enough. My husband had 2 of them. The first one was removed before he left the hospital and we were trained on how to keep the hole clean until it closed up- not a big deal-
the 2nd one was put in [months later]in an emergency situation when the tumors were stopping his ability to breath. He came home with that trach and I was trained to do the whole cleaning, suction routine.[keep in mind, my background is English teacher, kitchen and bath designer, grandma] It was very scary for me at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly and did it every few hours for over 6 weeks. If your Dad needs one, then don't be too scared [ha!, I had nightmares when they told me John was going to come home with one]. It is usually a manageable situation for a caregiver. Stay strong.Keep asking questions. Amy in the Ozarks

Thanks again all.

We already spoke to the surgeon about this. He wasn't a big fan of it; however after talking with us he said he'd do it if it makes my Dad happy and comfortable.

My Dad is very scared of his breathing being shut off and that's why he asked the surgeon about a trach.

His cold is letting up and he's doing better. He asked me to ask these questions here, so I am. My mother is not too happy with the idea of a trach; she did some research.

I'm sure once his cold goes away things will calm down and he can relax better.

Thanks
LisaB (and Sam my Dad)