Elle Rose

Quick tracheostomy change

Added 2022-12-09 00:08:34 +0000 UTC

Because I still rely on a ventilator at night and a diaphragm pacer to help me breathe during the day, I have a tracheostomy which has to be maintained every month by being replaced with a new one. I wear the smallest adult size, and we maintain it every day using hydrogen peroxide and Q-tips to clean it. I wear gauze around it at night time when I am on the ventilator to catch excess mucus.

This process is painless, although it can be a little bit triggering sense it reminds me of when my tracheostomy surgery was done. Come to think of it, that was also painless,!, but I was awake for it and they just gave me a painkiller an and CUT a hole in my throat. That's how it's done and I guess it was just traumatizing in its own way. I've had my tracheostomy ever since September of 2020 so bye now I'm pretty much used to it except that it's a sore subject LMAO. I only let people touch it when absolutely necessary to clean it or change it. Hopefully one day all that will remain of its existence will be a scar.