Post op stoma help!

Good evening Mini2011, i agree its not nice coughing up mucus, what are you covering the stoma with as I used to have a Buchanan bib to cover my neck stoma, when i felt the urge to cough i used to remove the bib and cough the mucus into a tissue. In time the mucus will die down. Its still early days for your recovery so hopefully they will check how everything is going tomorrow. Did you have a feeding tube PEG or NG feeding tube fitted. Wishing you well, take care.

                                                                    Chris x

Hi there, i had a trache for a week. Takes a few weeks for the stoma to heal. You just have to clean it and dress it. Did they give you dressings that are waterproof and with a little “button “ on the dressing?? When you cough, try and put 2-3 fingers on top of the dressing to hold the stoma. Otherwise secretions will leak through. Doing that will aid healing also as the wetter the stoma is the longer it will take to heal. If you have ++++of secretions, its not pleasant but as chris says get it up and out on a tissue, clean and dry the stoma then get a clean dressing over it. Ideally waterproof and airtight dressing is best, otherwise air /mucus will leak out. I used some fab dressing’s that were given. It had a thick button in the dressing. The button goes over the stoma and dressing applied tightly so no air can escape, then hold against the button when coughing or sneezing or anything that may expel air (like going to the loo even!! To keep an airtight seal. Once the airseal is broken, the secretions will find their way to the surface. Hopefully it will settle and soon be healed. Xxx

Hi ER1

i was given airtight plasters, saline, dressings to clean the site and these but when I went to have my stitches out yesterday the wound care nurse said they’d not used them before and that I didn’t really need them that I just need to press firmly on my plaster when I cough,!sneeze, cough etc.

I am struggling with coughing as I get a bit of asthma particularly at night so the plaster than makes air noises!

were these the skin facts you used? If not you can you ping me a link?

Hiya

these are the dressings i used. 

When you say the nurse said you didnt need them, didnt need what? Sorry i don’t understand. The picture you sent look like ecg tabs, I wouldn’t use them as they usually sticky on the back. 
you on a brown inhaler? Xx

 I they said to stick that thing on top of one of the plasters you put over the sight, not directly onto the trachie. They’re such a faff I’m getting yours!!!

It’s a horrible thing isn’t it. I ended up not swelling up too much after the both side dissections and I found the tracheotomy the worst part of it all tbh!!!

I get my pathology results in 3 weeks and just hope I don’t need radiation.

my consultant had to remove SCC from the tip of my tongue and tether it to the inside lip to cover the floor cancer area. It is soooo painful when something catches it. I had tongue cancer in 2011 and a left neck dissection ut this op last week was much harder and longer. I’m doing lots of physio too so I can drive when I’m safe to!

Just ordered these dressings because it’s ridiculous the amount of air that gets into the ones they gave me. Did you leave them on for a few days or change Daily? I shower daily so I’d change it afterwards. I’ll clean with saline before putting the new button dressing on! Thank so much

Bless you, keep going you sound like you’re doing great. I too found the trache the worse thing, i was dry as a bone in hospital and couldn’t stop coughing. In the end i demanded they took it out lol, i said if i don’t manage the fine put it back in and i was so much better once it came out! Your welcome to have the dressings i have left it it helps? I ain’t planning another trache any time soon! Not suprised your in a myddle trying to get the ecg pads on your dressing! 
hope your results are good. Fingers crossed . My results were good but had to have radiotherapy still. You just have to get on with it and youll be fine! 
Take care

Elaine x

Brilliant 

i changed daily as they do eventually get loose. You can like you say get a good shower and give it a good clean afterwards. As the hole decreased i went on to softpore/mepore dressing, just a soft dry adhesive dressing (should be able to get some from your surgery on prescription, same with your trache dressings, saline, gauze and anything else you need xx oh yes theres also some small wipes you can get called cavilon, you can pop that on your skin around the stoma and where the adhesive will stick, its just a nice barrier solution so your skin doesn’t get sore. Just wait for it to dry after applying xx