Dissapointments and Setbacks

The Respiratory Therapist (RT) wants to change Trachs, as the one Michael has is too long for his airway causing discomfort and a great deal of coughing. The doctor who put it in was probably thrown off by the huge amount of swelling Michael had at the time of surgery.
The RT was able to decrease the cuff size on his Trach this morning. Michael was actually able to say a few words when his Trach was covered! Unfortunately, he couldn't tolerate the change and his cuff was fully inflated once again.
Dr. Clark, the Pulmonologist, came and spoke to us today. He spent an hour reviewing Michael's chart. He would like to provide us with a game plan. Right now, his plan is to go slow. Michael's sats (O2 saturation) were low this morning on the Trach collar, so he was changed back to the C-PAP. Dr. Clark thinks Michael is having difficulty breathing right now due to a fluid imbalance. They will increase his diuretics in hopes to create a dryer lung. They may take him for another lung CT.