Having a Tracheostomy

Back on the ward you will be made comfortable and a nurse will probably stay with you for most of the time. You will be nursed in a fairly upright position, in your bed, supported by several pillows. This will help reduce swelling in the neck area and make breathing easier.

You will have your blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels checked. This will be monitored by a machine which has a blood pressure cuff and a rubber attachment to fit on your finger.

There may be a fluid drip going into a vein probably in the back of hand which will help to keep up your fluid levels until you are able to eat and drink.

Pain relief may be given through a fluid drip, by injections/liquid medication or by a pump which you may be able to operate yourself (PCA).

You will have a tracheostomy tube in your throat in the stoma and a couple of stitches on either side of the stoma. These stitches will be removed after about 5-7 days. The tracheostomy tube may also be stitched to the skin for safety. There will be a mask around your neck to give you oxygen and moisture in your lungs.

Because you are now breathing through the tube in your stoma you will have more mucus to cough up and you may find this tiresome at first. The nurses will help you with this. A small narrow tube connected to a suction machine will be inserted into your stoma to remove this mucus and this will make breathing feel easier. This is called suctioning. You will learn, with help from the physiotherapist and the nursing staff how to cough this mucus out through your stoma by yourself. The mucus may be blood-stained at first – do not worry as this is normal.

You will be given a mist to breathe in and out through a mask over your tracheostomy and this will help to loosen mucus so that you can cough it out. This is called a nebuliser.

The tracheostomy tube through which you breathe, in your neck, will have an inner tube and this will be changed and cleaned regularly to ensure your breathing is comfortable. The nurses will show you and your family how to do this as soon as you are ready.

Now as you breathe air does not pass through the nose, which previously moistened and filtered the air before it reaches your lungs. Instead air goes straight through your stoma to your lungs. To replace moisture needed you will have moistened oxygen given through a mask into your neck stoma – this can be quite noisy! After a days you will progress to wearing a humidification cover (protector) or filters which help warm and moisten the air that you breathe.

At first when you need to use the toilet the ward staff will bring you a commode or bedpan. However, once recovered from the anaesthetic you will be able to walk to the bathroom yourself.

You will have a call bell by which you can contact the ward staff for assistance as needed. As you will have no voice initially you can communicate by writing, picture cards and by others lip-reading.

Following your operation you may not feel very sociable so it is wise to only have a couple of visitors. The visiting hours vary in the different hospitals and you will be advised about this.

You should be able to drink as before. However for a short period after surgery your throat will be sore and you may find soft foods easier to swallow. You will usually have a swallowing assessment to ensure the swallowing mechanism is working properly.