Emelinda

Annie,

Any word on how she is doing or when she may go home?

Yes I called Bobbie on my lunch break today and he said she is doing much better and maybe released tomorrow.
 As far as the  thrach goes it may have to stay in for 6 months depending on how much weight she can loose.
I know they want to put a button on the trach to allow he to be able to talk and they need Bobbie to attend a class on it before releasing her tomorrow.

I am unclear on the total reason as to why she had to have it and they are keeping it in place.
I am looking forward to Emelinda and her family coming down to my house for a few days the end of the month.
I miss her very much and my heart goes out to her.
                                                     Annie

Usually a trach is done when the neck is too short and the soft tissues (fat) surrounding the trachea are such that they can not intubate during surgery.  It is a safety procedure to keep them from losing a viable airway during surgery.   The trach is left in until the doctor feels like the swelling has gone down and you are moving air pretty well on your own.  If theytake the trach out and you lose your airway it is very difficult to redo it.  All of this is done as a precaution to keep a much worse scenario from happening.  

The anesthesiologist usually makes the call when it comes to your airway.  The surgeon leaves it entirely up to them to make sure that all your vital signs are stable during surgery.  After surgery you are at risk for pneumonia, blood clots, etc.