Help and advice tracheostomy

Hi Blubear. Welcome to the community.

My first husband had a laryngectomy years ago and coped very well with a speaking valve and within six m months of the operation was bouncing about the way he had been before surgery. There's no doubt that it is really life changing though. I can't help with the day to day care of the stoma. These days there are all sorts of things that weren't available then, like hands free speech.

Two of our champs here are laryngectomees and I'm sure they will be along soon to give you some advice

MikeO chris2012

Hi. I had a full voice box removal 8 weeks ago. I was in hospital for four weeks and now have a stoma in my neck plus the valve to help me speak. My new voice us very good and people are not finding it hard to understand me. The operation is major and my best advice is to listen to what the Macmillan team and surgeon tell you what will happen. After the operation it was quite easy to breath, and I ticked off all the things that I had been told would happen.

I am now enjoying my life and nothing has really changed apart from my voice.

Take each step as it happens and try to be positive.

Hope it all goes ok.

Tommolt

Thank you so much for your reply, my head is spinning so much to take in after months of no one knowing what was wrong with him - to the shock of cancer and tracheostomy I just want  to help him the best I can. 

Thank you for the reply, really nice to hear that your enjoying life after all you have been through. 
it gives me some positives to tell my husband as we really don’t know much about the after 

thanks 

Good evening Blubear, sorry to hear about your husband, it sounds as if removal of the voicebox is the best and safest option to stop it spread, i had two operations with one with mouth and the other  lower jaw cancer , thankfylly the removal of my voicebox finally stopped it back in 2010. Its not the end of the word and once everthing has settled down he should not get any problems, most people have a speech valve fitted (TEP) but due to problems i could not use one despite determined efforts. The new speech via the valve is very good and clear, i think its amazing what they can do. The speech therapist will help get him on the right tracks although it takes a fair few weeks to get to this stage. What you have to remember is the nose and mouth become redundant  when breathing so its down to the hole in the neck (stoma) where all the brearhing is done so it is also used when you sneeze and cough, also like when we blow our nose we have to cough any phlegm/mucus via the stoma so its always handy to have tissues near by, it can happen about 2/3 times a day but it will all come part of daily life. Life is much the same as normal for me and do much the same as i did before , its just we breathe and talk a different way. Im sure he will be ok with your support to begin with but after about 8 months to a year he should be in a nice routine. Please re-post if you have any more concerns, wishing you both all the best and good luck. Take care.

                                         Chris x 

Bluebear, your husband is very young to be facing this. My first husband was 47 and the surgeons then thought that very young. The Royal Marsden are pioneers in hemi laryngectomy which leaves half the voice box intact, a whisper of a normal voice and, importantly, all the plumbing in place. Would it be worth getting a second opinion? Vin Paleri is the surgeon.

Just a thought before you make such an irrevocable decision