Tracheotomy ICU

[Brittxoxo]

Hey guys..

Im posting alot even though im still new

But this journey started 2 weeks ago today, my mom had a really bad asthma attack, she was not breathing out enough C02, and her airways were basically closed. She had to be sedated and put on a ventilator. She would breathe over the vent and because off that doctors paralyzed her for 5 days. 2 weeks later we have come a long way! Her lungs sound normal again, she's maintained her C02 levels, and ever since Wednesday whenever she does her breathing trails she does 10-12 hours a day and does great!!! But also within those days her blood pressure has gone really high.. So a new IV was started for blood pressure medication. The doctor who has been with her moved to a new floor. His plan was to take the tube out today. But now theres a new Doctor on the floor. She wants to do a tracheotomy. Her reasoning is to control her blood pressure, and now we found out the very bottom of her left lung, a small part collapsed. I just feel if it was serious she wouldn't be able to tolerate breathing on her own .. Theyve started to wake her up today and she was crying so bad and trying to talk.. It hurt my heart..My mom never wanted to be on a vent.. And i know she wouldn't want a tracheotomy.. And i feel as its not 100% necessary.. Im losing my mind.. Please share any stories or please give me any advice.. Tia..

[AJH1709]

Hello Tia - my dad was ventilated for 4 weeks after having pneumonia, sepsis, leaking aneurysm stent and like your mum he had a partial collapsed lung caused by blood in his chest. He had a tracheotomy after those four weeks and it was a very positive move as straight away they took him off sedation and woke him up. They then slowly slowly weaned him off ventilated support and he now has a speaking valve so he can talk to us. It is really scary and my mum was very against it but I did a lot of research and honestly he started improving in leaps and bounds after having it. The first week was very slow, they worried he had had a stroke as he could not move his right side but I think this was just due to a large amount of sedation drugs still in his system. The good thing with the trache is they can wean them off at their own pace - a little a day - and give them more support when they need it. If they take the tube out - that's it the patient is on their own and if they find they are struggling then they will have to intubate again.

My dad is continuing to do well - he has been in ICU for nearly 9 weeks now. We have a different consultant every week - all with their own ideas and ways of doing things - it can be very frustrating! Best of luck xx

[dbyeti]

Hi Tia,

My husband had two brain haemorrhages, two comas, two tracheotomies...... At the time I thought it was a huge deal, and didn't know if he'd be able to talk again. However, both times he recovered very well from it, and it means they can really help with getting the body the oxygen that it needs. Most of the time he had the tracheotomy in, he was in a coma, but generally if a patient is conscious then they are on a sedative so they can cope with the tracheostomy tube. He did have problems on the way With lungs collapsing and whatnot, and at least once they had to move the tube (in his lungs) as they thought it wasn't being very effective.

I'm wishing all the best for your mother, and hope that you remember to look after yourself, too.

Miriam