There seems to be some confusion about these two procedures. A tracheotomy is a procedure where an opening is made in the neck to allow breathing directly to the lungs. This procedure is fairly common and can be temporary or permanent. Over 400,000 Americans per year have this done to help them breathe. People with traches can breathe through their nose, their mouth, and their neck all at once or one at a time. People with traches do not lose their voice, no body parts have been removed, all that has happened is they have an extra air passage to the lungs making breathing easier.
There is nothing temporary about a Laryngectomy. A surgeon makes an incision along the base of the neck from one ear to the other and takes out the Larynx (vocal cords, voice box, adams apple) and in my case half my thyroid and most of the muscle around the carotid artery and jugular vein. People with traches rarely have throat cancer while Larngectomees almost always have cancer. Performing a Tracheotomy can take 5 - 10 minutes while performing a Laryngectomy can take 10 - 12 hours and changes the way you communicate and breathe forever.
The first thing a laryngectomee wants to know when he or she wakes up in the recovery room is where the hell am I? The second thing they want to know is who cut my head off and stapled it on (crooked no less). You try to get someones attention, you need water, you need something, you call out ... no one pays any notice, you call out again and again and again. This must be some sick movie. You spot a nurse not five feet from you and scream PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME !!! Then it hits you like a hammer in the forehead, no matter how loud you scream there is only deafening SILENCE. This is the first of many surprises and nuances to come. I hate surprises. Time to take inventory. The inside of my right arm and the back of my left hand have tape, gauze, needles (IV's) and clear plastic tubing running up over my head to three hanging drip bags. My chest, stomach, and sides have eight or ten wires glued to them (must be some sort of EKG). Attached to my hospital shirt (johnny coat) are two bobby pins holding plastic tubing 3/8 o.d.by 1/4 inch i.d. .... what the heck is that for? I follow the tube from my chest with my left hand, oh god it disappears into my nose. It is held in my nose by super strong tape with cloth or threads in it. I hate this hose in my nose deal, it looks like hell, it feels like hell and its blocking my breathing. (isn't it?) I reach up to my nose to the violated nostril and feel no air movement (see this damn thing IS blocking my breathing) then I put my hand to my clear nostril to make sure it is able to do double duty. NO AIR here either. I lower my hand to my mouth and I feel air coming from the bottom of my mouth, isn't that impossible? I blow and blow air on my hand, but I can't feel it. Is my hand numb try the other hand....same same. I hear a wheezing in my throat. I feel air flow coming from my neck I'm breathing almost normally, but I don't know how I'm doing it.
Get me the hell out of here. Someones got to answer for this, I want to take names and kick butts, I am furious. My mind is going between fits of rage and silently crying. When I find out who did this to me I'm going to hunt them down and kill them. Everything you have just read here is true and it all took place in a matter of minutes in post op.
I have since had 30 radiation sessions and months of recuperation that is still on going. I have learned new ways of speaking, and have even helped others with similar situations. (I'll save those stories for another time). Oh yeah, I found out later who did this to me, it was a young kid, dark hair, thin, in his teens....looked a lot like my son Adam. Started smoking, smoked 3 packs a day for over thirty years. I knew him well years ago and now my wife and I are trying to get him healthy again.
Bob Herbst
