Post by Kristen Gamauf on Oct 10, 2005 22:31:18 GMT -5
DAY 7 AT EDWIN SHAW
When Mom & Dad got there tonight Mike took Mom's hand and brought it to his face and kissed the back of it.
He proceeded to mouth things. They had him write what he wanted.
He wrote, "Tracke come out" and "I don't need it" one on top of each other.
He is very fidgety, very tired, very indecisive. He wants up in his wheelchair and then gets tired and wants back in bed.
His respiratory therapist came by. He tried putting the talking valve over Mike's trache. The speaking valve is a one-way valve--he can inhale (when not panicked), but can't exhale out the trache. The vocal chords are above the trache. Mike didn't like it, he panicked. He said, "take it out, take it out!" They will be trying to downsize the trache this week.
Here's how it works. There's a plastic piece that goes down his windpipe. This piece is not changed daily and called the outer cannula. Common sizes are 8, 6, and 4. Eight is the biggest/what he has come in with. The external part is what you see, then a curved tube about 4 inches long goes into his throat. There's a balloon (cuff) on the end of it, on the outside. Mike's cuff is barrel-shaped, called high-volume. Once in the windpipe, air is blown into the balloon via a tiny tube that comes out along side the trache. The balloon keeps air from going around the outside of the trache.
Everyday they replace the inner tube (inner cannula) of the trache. It fits inside the outer cannula.
With the size 8 Mike has currently, when the trache is capped not much air can get around the part in his windpipe (they deflate the balloon when the talking valve is put on). Even though he theoretically can inhale through the valve on the trache, the idea is for him to take the air in through his mouth around the outer cannula. I think it must be harder to suck in air hard enough to get the valve open than when nothing is covering it too. So he has trouble breathing. With the eventual size 4 tube in his throat, he will be able to breathe better with the talking valve on.
Here's a website with some pictures, though none look exactly like what Mike has (different brands or something).
www.tracheostomy.com/types.htm
Also, here's Mike's address at Edwin Shaw, in case anyone wants to send him a card:
Michael Gamauf
Edwin Shaw Hospital
Room 129S, Bed A
1621 Flickinger Rd
Akron, OH 44312
When Mom & Dad got there tonight Mike took Mom's hand and brought it to his face and kissed the back of it.
He proceeded to mouth things. They had him write what he wanted.
He wrote, "Tracke come out" and "I don't need it" one on top of each other.
He is very fidgety, very tired, very indecisive. He wants up in his wheelchair and then gets tired and wants back in bed.
His respiratory therapist came by. He tried putting the talking valve over Mike's trache. The speaking valve is a one-way valve--he can inhale (when not panicked), but can't exhale out the trache. The vocal chords are above the trache. Mike didn't like it, he panicked. He said, "take it out, take it out!" They will be trying to downsize the trache this week.
Here's how it works. There's a plastic piece that goes down his windpipe. This piece is not changed daily and called the outer cannula. Common sizes are 8, 6, and 4. Eight is the biggest/what he has come in with. The external part is what you see, then a curved tube about 4 inches long goes into his throat. There's a balloon (cuff) on the end of it, on the outside. Mike's cuff is barrel-shaped, called high-volume. Once in the windpipe, air is blown into the balloon via a tiny tube that comes out along side the trache. The balloon keeps air from going around the outside of the trache.
Everyday they replace the inner tube (inner cannula) of the trache. It fits inside the outer cannula.
With the size 8 Mike has currently, when the trache is capped not much air can get around the part in his windpipe (they deflate the balloon when the talking valve is put on). Even though he theoretically can inhale through the valve on the trache, the idea is for him to take the air in through his mouth around the outer cannula. I think it must be harder to suck in air hard enough to get the valve open than when nothing is covering it too. So he has trouble breathing. With the eventual size 4 tube in his throat, he will be able to breathe better with the talking valve on.
Here's a website with some pictures, though none look exactly like what Mike has (different brands or something).
www.tracheostomy.com/types.htm
Also, here's Mike's address at Edwin Shaw, in case anyone wants to send him a card:
Michael Gamauf
Edwin Shaw Hospital
Room 129S, Bed A
1621 Flickinger Rd
Akron, OH 44312