Life With ALS.com
+ Diagnosed Aug 2005
+ Bipap March 2007
+ PEG July 2007
+ Trache and Vent July 2008
Still Living, Loving & Laughing
I am constantly concerned that PALS are not adequately prepared for a tracheostomy.
If you want a quick departure from the hospital here is what we did.
There needs to be a few things put in place before going into the hospital so you are not there for an extended period of time.
Remember - Get it done before it is an emergency.
1. We had a two day training session in our home and all our kids and their spouses
took two days off work to attend. We were all trained on how to take care of the
tracheostomy and also ventilator trouble shooting and maintenance. This was no
sooner done when we got the call there was a bed available at the hospital.
2. We had all the equipment, I would need, already in our home.
This sounds simple, and it is, but too many people over look this and find themselves in the hospital for extended periods of time as they try to find caregivers and get them trained. Then try to get the equipment in place. This can take more than 6 weeks or even longer if there are other problems that come up.
I was home in 7 days.
In our part of the world, once you get a tracheostomy, you have to prove you have trained help at home before they will release you from the hospital. We had all this in place before I went in to the hospital. The surgery itself was quick and easy, it took less than thirty minutes and I was awake and had no pain. Within eighteen hours they deflated the cuff, on the trache tube, and I was talking. I could not believe how easy all this was, but there were a lot of people praying for me so I am not surprised it went so well.
I was in the hospital for one week, but only because it was hard to convince everyone we were setup at home to deal with a tracheostomy and vent.
So, get caregivers trained and all equipment in place BEFORE going in to the hospital.
This will help to prevent an extended stay.
