Morning friends. I have a situation. So my moms trache is still in, even though she has been capped and breathing fine for weeks, (accept when she caught pneumonia for a week where her lungs filled w fluid and she had aspiration) they want to leave it in for precaution. I have been pushing for the speech therapists and doctors to try and swallow test to see if she can eat, but for some reason it’s not getting done. Well I should say the doctors put in to have a swallow test performed, but it’s not happening by the speech therapist. Now we are going to be transferring her to a subacute unit, where they don’t do swallow tests, they have to send her out to have them done. I pushed to have her capped because I felt in my gut she could breathe fine, which she had absolutely no problem from the get go, and I feel she will be able to eat also! She isn’t responding well with the speech therapist there, or maybe it’s bad timing but she stopped working with my mom over a month ago, I feel helpless and don’t know what to do! Please if anyone has any advice, about the trache or swallow test, please tell me! The doctors said also if we truly wanted the trache out, we could take it out BUT if she got pneumonia again it would be worse to stick it in again… And the case manager told me I have a better chance of having her accepted in a facility w her trache! I’m worried the insurance will send her home w the gtube and deny any more coverage… I’m lost.
Gosh I really know nothing about trache's...hopefully someone will help you out...Please know I am sending some prayers for some answers for you...~ Colleen
Thank you Colleen! I hope someone can help me too that’s been through it. Maybe I’m pushing too fast? I feel she is ready to try it…