OHS and NOW I must have tube damage fixed

[Maryka]

Now I am angry. Women are more prone to intubation damage (smaller tracheas) but no one warned me to watch out for this one. Because my trachea is mostly closed by my granuloma, I must have surgery to remove it ASAP. Also because of this obstruction I am almost as out of breath as I was before my surgery.

I think larynx damage--recognition, prevention and early recognition should be included in the pre-OHS literature and pep-talks we get, especially for women.

My surgery date is now April 30.

Maryka

 

[Ross]

I'm sorry Maryka. Some of us have to deal with things that weren't planned for nor wanted. I know that's no consulation, but it's the best I have.

 

[Mary]

I'm sorry to read this, Maryka.

 

[tobagotwo]

You are so right about trache warnings. But not just for women. They "clipped" my left vocal cord when intubating me, and my voice was never able to recover.

Best wishes,

 

[Nancy]

Joe's vocal cords were damaged as well due to so, so many intubations and procedures down his throat. He should have had surgery for it, but he was too ill to have it done.

So, I hope you have a successful surgery and it will make things right again.

 

[WayneGM]

Sorry to hear about this, Maryka. I didn't know about the potential trache problems either. Best wishes and good luck with your surgery.

 

[fabyan64]

Hi Maryka,

Sorry to hear about the damage. That definitely is not what you need. I heard about the dangers AFTER I woke up. Oh well! I hope everything works out for you.

Regards,
Roderick

 

[hall]

Sorry to hear you have to have surgery due to intubation. Hope everything goes well for you.

 

[sheridan07]

Good luck with your surgery

 

[ponytaila1a]

I am so sorry to hear about your needed surgery. Now that I have the warning what should I do? How can I watch out for it?

 

[JeffM]

What's the fix?

What's the fix?

Now I am angry. Women are more prone to intubation damage (smaller tracheas) but no one warned me to watch out for this one. Because my trachea is mostly closed by my granuloma, I must have surgery to remove it ASAP. Also because of this obstruction I am almost as out of breath as I was before my surgery.

I think larynx damage--recognition, prevention and early recognition should be included in the pre-OHS literature and pep-talks we get, especially for women.

My surgery date is now April 30.

Maryka

Maryka,

I hate to hear about surgical compications and I'm sorry you have to go through this. I've had some weird issues with my throat that seem to have developed a few months post-op. Or maybe I just didn't notice them earlier. Worse some days than others and especially noticeable when I wear a mock turtle neck shirt. Has anyone explained to you what they plan to do to fix the problem?

 

[Maryka]

This time I am having surgery at George Washington University Hospital (Washington, DC) because my friends and relatives got tired of driving to Baltimore for the OHS.

YES, I know what they will do. (First let me say that if you are in doubt about your throat, get to what we used to call an ENT. They can painlessly put a little scope down your nose to your larynx and take a look.) For me, I am sorry I waited to go in for the little scope exam, because the granuloma is almost big enough to close off my thrachea. Luckily it is on a little stem, so moves around when I clear my throat.

They will not intubate me for this surgery, but will sedate me and puff a bit of anesthesia down my trachea. In moments the surgeon will cut the growth off at the stem and then put on a chemical to encourage the healing to be complete with no regrowth of the granuloma. (Yes, these darned things can re-grow.) I should lose the hoarseness immediately. (My fingers are crossed!) The surgeon is not taking me off Coumadin for it--probably less blood than a tooth cleaning.

By the way, thanks for all of the kind wishes!

Maryka

 

[abbanabba]

Best luck with the surgery Maryka.

I guess I'm lucky, I was made fully aware of the small risks involved with intubation prior to my surgery... but like all the risks, it was out of my hands anyway, so I don't know if the pre-knowledge was that beneficial. The risk of not having the PVR far outweighed any of the others.