Speech with a Tracheostomy. Request an Appointment Adult Patients Already a Patient? Traveling for Care? Show me more I want to As the patient exhales, the valve closes and air passes through the vocal cords to allow for vocalization. If your loved one is connected to a ventilator to help him breathe, speech can only occur during the expiratory cycle in which air is expelled. When this cycle ends, he will only be able to resume speech during the next expiratory cycle.
This tends to disrupt the typical patterns of speech. His voice may sound different and it may abruptly become quieter or louder. He may stop suddenly in the middle of a sentence. Be patient and wait to respond until you are sure that he is finished speaking.
Image source: nursingstudentlifeblog. You may take a bath in shallow water. Do not splash water into your trach. You may take a shower.
Aim the shower head at your lower body or back. Cover the tube so that no water gets in but you can still breathe. Do not swim. You should be able to eat without problems. If food or liquid gets into your tracheostomy tube, suction it out right away.
Sit up while you eat. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt. Drink plenty of fluids unless your doctor tells you not to. You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. This is common. Try to avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines. If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if and when to start taking it again.
Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. Take pain medicines exactly as directed. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, take an over-the-counter medicine such as acetaminophen Tylenol , ibuprofen Advil, Motrin , or naproxen Aleve.
Read and follow all instructions on the label. Do not take two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to.
Many pain medicines contain acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen Tylenol can be harmful. You could also wear a loose piece of clothing, such as a scarf, to stop things like water, sand or dust entering the opening and causing breathing problems. A tracheostomy tube needs to be cleaned regularly to stop it becoming blocked with fluid and mucus. This may need to be done several times a day. A specialist tracheostomy nurse will teach you how to take care of your tracheostomy tube before you leave hospital, including how to suction fluid from your windpipe trachea and how to clean and change the tube.
Page last reviewed: 24 December Next review due: 24 December However, some people may find it takes time to adapt to swallowing and communicating.
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