Tracheostomy?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Dh has bleeding into his inner tube, the Ent reg put a new longer tube in on Wednesday, it’s still filling with blood though. It’s not haemorrhaging but it’s constant congestion, nebbing, bringing up blood, repeat all day long between 5am and 11pm.

I honestly don’t know what to do, the ANP turns everything round to being your fault & that we must be doing something wrong but he’s compliant. He can’t breathe with the inner cannula in and they just go on their going to document it but they don’t listen that he can’t breathe with it in or consider a different type of trachy.

I’ll ring the GP for support tomorrow but surely this can’t be right? He was better on a 7mm tube.

[SueSaid]

Is the ANP a respiratory specialist nurse? It's just awful that any hcp would imply any of it is your dh's fault.

If saline nebs aren't helping then it won't be a humidification problem and sounds as you say that he needs to go back to a shorter or smaller tube. I wouldn't bother asking your gp they won't have a clue, I'd go back to ent Mon a.m most have walk in clinics though you'll have a wait. Just say he's constantly bleeding you've tried nebs you think he needs a smaller tube. Then put in a complaint about the unsupportive ANP. Good luck, your poor dh must be miserable and hard for you too to watch him struggle

[Fluffycloudland77]

I’ve rung an ambulance. Their sending a category 3 out. I’m too emotional to drive him and I don’t want to be on the side of an A road with a deteriorating adult. I’ll follow in my car.

ANP is a trachy nurse attached to ENT. Worst thing is I’m a HCP too and honestly can’t believe how poor our care is. On Wednesday we couldn’t wait in the ENT triage area as he has a trachy and the nurses aren’t trained in Trachys but it’s ok to send him out into the community with just me.

[SueSaid]

Oh no, how upsetting for you both but you've done the right thing.
His ANP sounds appalling and when this is all sorted really you must put a complaint in. Leaving someone with a bleeding airway and implying it's his own fault is just crazy. He obviously needs a different sized trachy and the ANP should be the expert to know which. I'm surprised there isn't some kind of out of hours respiratory nurse support.
Best of luck.