Trach Free

A playful Cis - a few hours post decannulation

Wow, I've been thinking about writing this post for 2 years! Cicily was decannulated (trach out) yesterday May 2nd. A good day!!! She was in the PICU Friday night with her trach capped (we'd also capped at home for a few days during the day). Saturday morning Dr. Mancuso came into her room and I (Mom) got to do the honors of pulling out her trach for the last time. It was glorious to not have to put a new trach back in and strangle her while I tightened the tie. Cicily didn't even flinch or anything as she went from using her trach to breathing entirely out of her nose and mouth. She was watching all the medical personnel in her room like a hawk, making sure they weren't about to pounce on her I think. The rest of the day Cis was happy, especially when we'd ask where her trach is and she'd reach up to put her finger in her trach tie and it wasn't there! She's made the transition much better than I thought she would. The first 5 or so times she coughed she'd cry a bit, but then she got used to it. I expected to have a few days of her being out of sorts with her brand new breathing pattern, so she's pleasantly surprised me. The trach stoma (opening into her neck where the trach went) was actually mostly closed up after only 2 hours of the trach being out. Dr. Mancuso expected it would close quickly because her trach size has always been so small (3.0 neo) and she just had surgery done on it a month ago.

Last night before I left the hospital and let Chris take the night shift, Cicily was breathing so rattly and I wanted to suction her so bad! It was a weird feeling to hear her needing to cough or be suctioned and not be able to do anything about it. She had a great night though and didn't have any major oxygen desaturations. She does still cough and cry when she sleeps, but that's the only time the change seems to bother her.

Right now I'm listening to her voice as she cries herself to sleep - what a glorious sound! Yesterday she was laying on me trying to take a nap in the hospital and had been crying. As she settled in to sleep, she started making those sobbing hiccupy noises like, "huhuhu " and I could hear them!!! And then she started making sleep-talk sounds as she drifted off to sleep and I layed there and cried happy tears.

For those who are concerned about the aesthetics of Cicily's neck, sometime in the next few years Dr. Mancuso will revise her trach scar to leave a nice neat horizontal line on her neck that can barely be seen.

Mom untying Cicily's trach tie for the last time. Cis was still in her jammies for the big event.

And it's out!!! Look at that bare neck! It's so kissable.

The only picture we have of her trach stoma. It closed so quickly! A thorough, unobstructed neck washing for the first time.