coughing up the mucus

thennies61
thennies61 Member Posts: 285
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hey guys..went to the doctor today and everything is healing nicely.He probed around tounge then down throat and send looks good nice and pink.Wants me to start to eat more and move towards alittle solid.He also wants me to try to keep my trach capped all the time and to beabe cough up the mucus and next month he finally pull the trach.My question is I have been able to cough but always comes out of the trach.Is there anyway I get it to by pass the trach and cough it up.The way I take it is he wants me to beable to cough safely without using the suction machine which I am/

Comments

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #2
    i don't exactly have a trach

    i don't exactly have a trach but i am a laryngectomy.  when i cough it comes up the stoma, like you.  i just use a tissue to wipe it away.  i'm just wondering if you are like me since you have a trach and that is the only place it can come out of.  there are a couple on here who had a temporary trach so maybe they will chime in and let you know what to expect.  wishing you the best.  ps, i am 2 yrs a lary and i still have to use the suction machine although some say i should have been done with that a few months after surgery  :0(

    dj

  • thennies61
    thennies61 Member Posts: 285
    #3
    debbiejeanne said:

    i don't exactly have a trach

    i don't exactly have a trach but i am a laryngectomy.  when i cough it comes up the stoma, like you.  i just use a tissue to wipe it away.  i'm just wondering if you are like me since you have a trach and that is the only place it can come out of.  there are a couple on here who had a temporary trach so maybe they will chime in and let you know what to expect.  wishing you the best.  ps, i am 2 yrs a lary and i still have to use the suction machine although some say i should have been done with that a few months after surgery  :0(

    dj

    My trach is tempory also.The

    My trach is tempory also.The way it feels is that is the only way it can come out being a tube in there.They way my speach doctor has said once it is taken out it will create more of a vacume to make it easier to swollow and to speak so might have to wait till I see her.I understand why he wants me to cap it to breath though nose and mouth but the coughing just doesn't seem to want to come all the way up flows right into the tube.

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #4
    thennies61 said:

    My trach is tempory also.The

    My trach is tempory also.The way it feels is that is the only way it can come out being a tube in there.They way my speach doctor has said once it is taken out it will create more of a vacume to make it easier to swollow and to speak so might have to wait till I see her.I understand why he wants me to cap it to breath though nose and mouth but the coughing just doesn't seem to want to come all the way up flows right into the tube.

    right, i'm wondering if

    right, i'm wondering if that's the only way it can come up, thru the tube.  mine can only come up thru the tube and maybe yours is the same.  i hope someone who has had the temp trach will chime in for you as they will know first hand.  i'm not sure how and what is different between a temp trach and a permanent larygectomy.  good luck.

    dj

  • Ladylacy
    Ladylacy Member Posts: 773 Member
    #5
    Coughing

    When my husband had a temporary trach, only a month before a complete laryngectomy, he had to suction the trach to get the mucus out.  He could cough the mucus up thru his throat.  Doctors said he had a good, strong cough.  He still uses the suction machine today but not liked he used too.

    If I understand it the difference between a trach and a stoma for a laryngectomee, is that with a trach you are still breathing thru your mouth and nose and that your windpipe and esophagus are still attached.  Once your voicebox or laryx is removed you can only breathe thru you stoma because the windpipe and esophagus are no longer attached.  When you have a stoma you can no longer choke to death but if you have a trach you can.  This is the way our head and neck specialist explained it to my husband and me.

    If you cap off the trach you can still breathe, if you cap off the stoma, you can't breathe as that goes directly into your lungs.

    Sharon

  • thennies61
    thennies61 Member Posts: 285
    #6
    Ladylacy said:

    Coughing

    When my husband had a temporary trach, only a month before a complete laryngectomy, he had to suction the trach to get the mucus out.  He could cough the mucus up thru his throat.  Doctors said he had a good, strong cough.  He still uses the suction machine today but not liked he used too.

    If I understand it the difference between a trach and a stoma for a laryngectomee, is that with a trach you are still breathing thru your mouth and nose and that your windpipe and esophagus are still attached.  Once your voicebox or laryx is removed you can only breathe thru you stoma because the windpipe and esophagus are no longer attached.  When you have a stoma you can no longer choke to death but if you have a trach you can.  This is the way our head and neck specialist explained it to my husband and me.

    If you cap off the trach you can still breathe, if you cap off the stoma, you can't breathe as that goes directly into your lungs.

    Sharon

    Good explaination of how it

    Good explaination of how it works.Yes I breath though my mouth and nose as mine it sorta of capped.I change my trach everyday .I have a voice cap that we have taped closed .When I do try to cough it come up though the tube and not up though throat.I'm thinking since I told the doctor during radiation I was using the suction machine a few times a day he thought I couldn't cough anything up so is having me cough and not use the suction so he can remove next month when I can bring it up.I'm sure once it is pulled and now a clear path up I'll have not problem.

  • jackflash22
    jackflash22 Member Posts: 524 Member
    #7
    thennies61 said:

    Good explaination of how it

    Good explaination of how it works.Yes I breath though my mouth and nose as mine it sorta of capped.I change my trach everyday .I have a voice cap that we have taped closed .When I do try to cough it come up though the tube and not up though throat.I'm thinking since I told the doctor during radiation I was using the suction machine a few times a day he thought I couldn't cough anything up so is having me cough and not use the suction so he can remove next month when I can bring it up.I'm sure once it is pulled and now a clear path up I'll have not problem.

    once my trache came out I

    once my trache came out I could cough up the mucous, once the hole is closed and your throat is healed the only way up is through the mouth. When I had the trache I coughed up through that and my mouth, I couldn't,t spit still can't I dribble if I try to spit so it's a tissue job. 

  • thennies61
    thennies61 Member Posts: 285
    #8
    jackflash22 said:

    once my trache came out I

    once my trache came out I could cough up the mucous, once the hole is closed and your throat is healed the only way up is through the mouth. When I had the trache I coughed up through that and my mouth, I couldn't,t spit still can't I dribble if I try to spit so it's a tissue job. 

    Thats about what I am doing

    Thats about what I am doing now.Most comes up though the trach alittle will come to mouth and spit in a tissue.The more I think about the more I think the doctor thought I was only using the sucktion machine.Throat finally feeling better and able to have soup for supper and eat all of it instead of a few sips.So hoping the radiation effects are leaving alittle...

  • patricke
    patricke Member Posts: 570
    #9
    debbiejeanne said:

    i don't exactly have a trach

    i don't exactly have a trach but i am a laryngectomy.  when i cough it comes up the stoma, like you.  i just use a tissue to wipe it away.  i'm just wondering if you are like me since you have a trach and that is the only place it can come out of.  there are a couple on here who had a temporary trach so maybe they will chime in and let you know what to expect.  wishing you the best.  ps, i am 2 yrs a lary and i still have to use the suction machine although some say i should have been done with that a few months after surgery  :0(

    dj

    LARY

    Hey DJ,

    I too am a lary, class of 2011, and have not had to use my trusty suction machine, since having the fistula, that held my voice prosthesis, patched closed last September.  Before my prosthesis fell out, and all h### broke out last summer, leading to the patching, I had stopped having to use my suction machine within the first year out.  Other larys may may be having suction experiences like you, but I am not sure.  Are you a a member of the International Association of Laryngectomees (IAL on the web), and their e-mail posting group Webwhispers?  The IAL and Webwhispers provide a wealth of information for larys, and they have lary support groups in many cities throughout the US.  You may already be plugged into these groups, but I thought I would mention it just in case you are not.  I hope that you are able to get away from your suction machine sooner than later as I know that it's no fun having to depend on it.

    PATRICK 

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #10
    patricke said:

    LARY

    Hey DJ,

    I too am a lary, class of 2011, and have not had to use my trusty suction machine, since having the fistula, that held my voice prosthesis, patched closed last September.  Before my prosthesis fell out, and all h### broke out last summer, leading to the patching, I had stopped having to use my suction machine within the first year out.  Other larys may may be having suction experiences like you, but I am not sure.  Are you a a member of the International Association of Laryngectomees (IAL on the web), and their e-mail posting group Webwhispers?  The IAL and Webwhispers provide a wealth of information for larys, and they have lary support groups in many cities throughout the US.  You may already be plugged into these groups, but I thought I would mention it just in case you are not.  I hope that you are able to get away from your suction machine sooner than later as I know that it's no fun having to depend on it.

    PATRICK 

    hey, Patridk, thank you for

    hey, Patridk, thank you for sharing.  i use the machine several times a day.  i'm pretty good about coughing it up but there are many times in a day that i have to use it to stop coughing.  coughing just doesn't bring it all up.  i have been a member of WW for about a yr now.  I've learned a lot from that site.  I just joined IAL about a week ago.  it is nice knowing I'm not alone although I would never wish this life on anyone.  I wish i could go to the IAL mtg. I just know that will be awesome.  Maybe one year.  thank you so much for sharing that info.  those are both excellent sites for larys to know about.  we have 2 other larys here that i know of and that's ladylacy's husband and a brand new lary, lornal.  its a shame how many people this stupid disease attacks everyday.   but progress is being made everyday and with that i keep hoping. 

    God bless you, Patrick.

    dj

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