Silver Negus
Group: Members
Posts: 357
Joined: Sep. 2007 |
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Posted: Jan. 05 2009, 14:33 |
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| Quote (Sweetpea @ Jan. 02 2009, 04:47) | | Quote (Silver Negus @ Dec. 30 2008, 14:48) | | help I cant stop coughing and its hell. oh well atleast I was okay at christmas. |
My sympathies to you, Silver Negus. Is it the flu? I imagine such a condition would be especially difficult with a tracheostomy tube? |
Yes it is horrible. If I get an infection in the tracheostomy or if I get colds and such like it's worse, because I can't stop coughing because it's a spasm cough. The tube encourages more coughing, and I have scar tissue also. The tracheostomy causes indegestion and heartburn , a knock on affect of the coughing. Sometimes if the infection is really bad I will take all of the tube completely out, so that I can sleep.
What I can't appreciate is that the consultants lied to me before I had the tracheostomy done, although I'm a very switched on person and asked alot of questions before the surgery. Even now people find it hard to think that it was done for 'precautionary measure' since I was not in danger at that point in time.
I had problems after the operation in which I couldn't breathe in properley and I was just staring at the clock on the wall, while the surgeons just looked at me and said the 'gagging was worrying' and they were telling me to 'try and talk.' Then they realised that the consultant surgeon had placed the cuff of the tube 'too far down my airway, so it was actually blocking off my airway.' My family said I 'looked as white as chalk.' I was in recovery for three quaters of an hour. In the end it was described that there were failures with my care management, but the complaints process was terrible and I was reduced to tears by management and the consultants, who were as you can imagine, very arrogant. They are taught to be arrogant in these types of situations, and very stoic as if nothing affects them emotionally.
Consultant Francis Stafford who did the tracheostomy said big lies in the complaints procedure, and he said he was experienced and had been doing tracheostomy since 1973. He said I had no infections at all in hospital, although my medical notes proved otherwise because I caught MRSA and Strep G within three days of having the tube inserted. - And I was due to have my daughter by caesarian 10 weeks later.
He said so many lies and management backed him up, I knew I was at aloss, even with the note about 'failures care management', I stood up and said ' you are a liar and you know it,' and he actually lay his head down on the desk. Then I walked out the door.
Now I've been told that the tracheostomy may be hard to remove due to scarring and the facts that my airways are small anyway, and traceostomy narrows the airway even more. So unfortunatley it looks like i'm left with something I don't think I should have had in the first place.
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Seriously though all the best for the new year mate,and to everyone else on tubular.net. 
