Intubades!!! A new game for all pre-surgery VR pati

[mikeb85]

I want to contribute this because I have not seen any posts on the subject and feel it would had been helpful for me when I first awoke from my surgery. I can?t believe that I never even thought about this! So here is how you play. The only rule is that the VR patient can?t say any WORDS! Next go out side and cut about a foot off of your garden hose, don?t worry you probably need a new one in the spring anyway. Then the patient shoves the hose as far into their throat as you can without choking yourself, remember this is just practice and during the real thing the pros will take care of that part for you!
Now the patient tries to get their partner to understand things like??.

My nose itches PLEASE scratch it
WATER!!!!!
All I want is my headphones on ( the one I really needed to practice)
HOW MUCH LONGER????
Everything is going to be OK

Well you get the idea and feel free to add your own stuff to the list, this a kind of personalized game anyway. I hope I haven?t scared anyone with my humorous take on this but I felt really dumb for not thinking about the issue beforehand and it would have made the uncomfortable parts a little easier for me anyway.

 

[stilldreamin]

I had one that everyone understood....

I'm going to throw up!

didn't even require practicing... proud of myself. had a pan and hands within seconds!

yes, i agree... sometimes the humour is needed Mike.

 

[Lynlw]

I had one that everyone understood....

I'm going to throw up!

didn't even require practicing... proud of myself. had a pan and hands within seconds!

yes, i agree... sometimes the humour is needed Mike.

So you were one of the "lucky" ones that threw up with the vent still in? Justin did and I felt so bad for him, what a mess.
That is funny Mike.

 

[Bill]

Garden hose? How did you get so lucky? I thought it was a damn straw!

Get it out now!!!! Just awoke, pointing at my mouth, unable to breath!
"We have to leave it in for a few minutes to make sure your breathing all right on your own"
Thinking, but I can't breath through a G.. D..... straw, no one can breath through a straw?!!!

That was the worst. Funny now, but ugggg

 

[Ross]

Mere childs play. You all are spoiled brats. Try living with the thing for 10 full days! Heck, I liked it so much that I even had them cut a hole in my throat and insert a trach tube (You know, one of those flexible straws like you get for a milkshake) and connect it to that for 30 some more!

 

[ponytaila1a]

Every time I feel a need to whine about the tube I recall my friend who had the 30 day experience.......and am thankful mine will most likely be for just a few hours!! I was thinking I would be able to write notes.......but I know .....some people have discussed your hands are tied down......which is it???? Thanks Jennifer

 

[Lynlw]

Every time I feel a need to whine about the tube I recall my friend who had the 30 day experience.......and am thankful mine will most likely be for just a few hours!! I was thinking I would be able to write notes.......but I know .....some people have discussed your hands are tied down......which is it???? Thanks Jennifer

It depends, sometimes when you are still pretty out of it and can pull tubes and lines out, they tie your hands down. But when ever Justin was awake enough and aware and CALM they untied his hands and we had hand signals and papers and pen, the writing tends to be pretty bad since you are laying on your back , but I'm use to reading bad writing.

 

[Bina]

I'm sure my hands were tied.....and I'm pretty sure that I barfed before they knocked me out again.
Maybe my hands were tied so that I would stop holding up a certain finger?? Oh my stars!

 

[geebee]

The worst thing for me was when they suctioned out the tube - major choking feeling. Having the tube in was not all that great since I am claustrophobic but the suctioning is what I feared when I found out I had to do this more than once.

 

[Ross]

The worst thing for me was when they suctioned out the tube - major choking feeling. Having the tube in was not all that great since I am claustrophobic but the suctioning is what I feared when I found out I had to do this more than once.

I used to hate suctioning, but through the years, I've actually requested to be suctioned a few times. I'm not kidding and that is not a joke.

 

[Gnusgal]

I only remember the trach tube from my first OHS (not valve). It was a miserable experience. Any time I thought about it, I would choke. My DH (boyfriend at the time) had to remind me repeatedly to breathe. And yes, my hands were tied down. I hated that. I just wanted to point to the *(&% tube to tell them to take it out! But the absolute worst part was actually when they did take it out! The first Matrix movie still gives me flashbacks!! Fortunately, I was considerably better medicated for my VR four years later.

 

[gf1962]

Hey Ross try 49 days intubated now that is a real treat.

 

[gf1962]

I am sorry I was mistaken only 15 days intubated and 34 days with a trach.

 

[Ross]

I am sorry I was mistaken only 15 days intubated and 34 days with a trach.

I think you and I are tied. I was 10 intubated and I'm pretty sure 39 trached. They took my trach tube out just before sending me to rehab and that was on day 50 and I spent 10 more in rehab.

Gotta ask you one thing. As your hole started to close up, was it really really painful at a certain point for about a day? Kind of like the nerves around it were firing?

 

[geebee]

I used to hate suctioning, but through the years, I've actually requested to be suctioned a few times. I'm not kidding and that is not a joke.

Can we say: "masochistic"?

 

[Mary]

Ventilators aren't fun, but the alternative can be much worse.

Not long ago my husband told about a patient he was caring for who asked to be reintubated. The lady had previously been weaned from the ventilator, but started having great difficulty breathing, so she asked to put her back on. She remained on for another day, and then was successfully weaned and eventually went home.

 

[lilteach3234]

Mere childs play. You'll are spoiled brats. Try living with the thing for 10 full days! Heck, I liked it so much that I even had them cut a hole in my throat and insert a trach tube (You know, one of those flexible straws like you get for a milkshake) and connect it to that for 30 some more!

I thought about you Ross when I was being reintubatted. I hate the thing but when I couldn't breath, it saved me. My throat is intense pain right now though and I have a right eareach which they say might be from the vent.

 

[Tbone]

Mere childs play. You'll are spoiled brats. Try living with the thing for 10 full days! Heck, I liked it so much that I even had them cut a hole in my throat and insert a trach tube (You know, one of those flexible straws like you get for a milkshake) and connect it to that for 30 some more!

Did you smoke a cigar also?

 

[Bryan B]

The vent didn't bother me too much. The only problem I had was that people here had given me (good) advice to listen to the vent and breathe in sync with it. The only problem is that the vent I was on was so quiet that I couldn't hear it. But it seemed that every time I woke up with the vent in and was not able to stay in sync with it I dozed back off into la la land. They finally woke me up and asked me if I wanted the vent out. To date that has been the most stupid question anyone has ever asked me in my life. I would kind of equate having the vent tube removed similar to having the chest tubes removed. It was not a pleasant experience but it felt so good afterward that it was worth the momentary discomfort. What helped most for me was reading all of the threads here about their vent experiences...at least I knew what to expect ahead of time. That made the situation much less stressful.

 

[Ross]

Can we say: "masochistic"?

When your lungs are so full of junk that they rattle when you breath and you feel like your drowning, you pretty much beg to be suctioned.

One thing though for anyone needing suctioning. Have your significant other request that they use rubber suction tips. Those plastic ones can make you bleed.