The Possibilities

I have some news to share. I saw Dr. Anderson on Tuesday and it looks like I will be having another surgery. Not a dilation surgery. The surgery will be where they will cut off the flap of granulation that I have gotten from the taking out and putting back in my trach for the last 3 years. Like I suspected that was the issue of my troubles on Sunday. Since doctor Anderson won’t be available and my family won’t be available, because my sister will be having surgery on July 17^th. I am looking to have my surgery on July 24th. The goal is to cut off the granulation and to leave out my trach permanently. I will be staying overnight to see how I do without my trach.

I am nervous and excited at the same time. I am happy that my surgery this time around will be here in Vancouver so that my friends and family can be there for me a lot easier than Seattle. I am nervous because of my past history with having larnyspasms. I’m glad that I have time to work through the emotional aspects of having yet another surgery and what that means for my body.

While talking to Dr. Anderson today we had an interesting conversation about how nervous people get with trachs not just the patients, but the medical doctors and nurses. They just shove it in quickly because they are afraid of it. I understand that fear. I think I made Doctor Anderson think because I told him my theory. That it is emotional having a trach and even being the one to use the trach for patients. It really is. It took me some time to get to know my trach and all that is involved. It truly isn’t as scary as it seems. It is rather simple. He was contemplating my answer. I told him that I should teach doctors about the care of a trach. You don’t just shove it in; you have to move it slow and methodically into the stoma. If you just shove it in it causes the patient more harm. I didn’t have time to tell Dr. Anderson about my website I want to build and what I want to do. I believe by the conversation that we had that he would be a big supporter of me. I will definitely be talking to him about “Beyond The Trach” after my surgery. The reason I believed this is because I told him I should have a class to teach the doctors and medical staff at all the hospitals about trach care from a patient’s perspective instead of the medical perspective. He seemed to like that idea.

I am hopeful and I’m excited to see all the possibilities come up from this.