Trachea shave and voice

[Mendi]

I had a trachea shave on Wednesday morning. Wednesday was fine as was Thursday. I was feeling fine and was planning to even work on Friday. When I woke up on Friday morning my neck and throat area was heavily swollen and burning red ring streched to the side of my neck, nearly around it as well as down towards chest from my chin.

I went to ER in the afternoon. Was given antibiotics to the vein as well as tablets to home and some pain killers.

Now I woke up to Saturday morning and my voice is gone. It´s not a female voice and it´s not a male voice...it´s just gone and resembles some horrible bird trying to croak.

This was my biggest fear of them all and why I kept on rejecting the idea of this surgery. If some else surgery fails, you can hide it. I wasn´t even worried about SRS, because if it fails nobody sees it. But I cannot hide anything from the head area. Especially not the damn voice!

I´m just so tired to this >-bleeped-<ty life. There was nothing that was fun or made any sense. And now to live with a freak voice for the rest of my life? I don´t think so.

[Haley Conner]

Give it time to heal before jumping to conclusions about it being gone.  And try not to use it for awhile.

[Dena]

As long as the infection is under control, it should only take time. The vocal cords are very sensitive and no doubt they have become inflamed as the result of the infection. You currently have Laryngitis and the best thing you can do is not to attempt to use your voice until the inflammation goes down. You voice should be back to normal in a week or two.

[Maid Marion]

Hi Mendi

Sorry to hear about the infection.  Hope you get better soon.

Marion

[tgirlamg]

I had a trachea shave on Wednesday morning. Wednesday was fine as was Thursday. I was feeling fine and was planning to even work on Friday. When I woke up on Friday morning my neck and throat area was heavily swollen and burning red ring streched to the side of my neck, nearly around it as well as down towards chest from my chin.

I went to ER in the afternoon. Was given antibiotics to the vein as well as tablets to home and some pain killers.

Now I woke up to Saturday morning and my voice is gone. It´s not a female voice and it´s not a male voice...it´s just gone and resembles some horrible bird trying to croak.

This was my biggest fear of them all and why I kept on rejecting the idea of this surgery. If some else surgery fails, you can hide it. I wasn´t even worried about SRS, because if it fails nobody sees it. But I cannot hide anything from the head area. Especially not the damn voice!

I´m just so tired to this >-bleeped-<ty life. There was nothing that was fun or made any sense. And now to live with a freak voice for the rest of my life? I don´t think so.

Mendi!!!

Post op on any surgery offers nothing but opportunities to worry about what the final result will be... don't let fear take over... patience patience patience sister!... All shall be well.. that area is a sensitive one and it will take a while... let the healing happen!!!

All good thing to you girl!!!

Ashley 🙋‍♀️💕🙋‍♀️

[Dena]

Look at this Wikipedia link. A little over half way down the page you will see an animation of the vocal cords. You will see how complex the motion is and it takes very little to interfere with it. When I had voice surgery, the swelling prevented me from making any noise for about two weeks and it was an additional couple of months before I started to sound half decent.

[Mendi]

I hope that it gets better. I´m just so tired to this. Last summer the intubation did damage my voice for six months and now during this spring my voice was finally as I wanted it to be and it came effortlessly. And I liked my voice. Now, I guess I need to start again from scratch. Just so tired.

And in two months I will get again intubated for BA.

I think I´m done with surgeries after that.

[Mendi]

Thank you Dena!

They did check my throat with some device and the doctor did say, that the trachea seems ok and intact and not collapsed and thus there is no damage I guess to the vocal cords either.

My neck area is just more swollen than yesterday and I´m contemplating that should I perhaps pay another visit to ER. Then again, I guess there´s nothing much to do for this than to wait.

[Haley Conner]

Ice does wonders for swelling.

[Mendi]

Not to this. This is not just some normal swelling. Ice didn´t do a thing. My whole throat/neck area is hard as rock.

[V M]

Hi Mendi

I understand that you are frightened and rather upset right now and I don't blame you for that

But please, let's try to watch the language okay?

Trachea shaves do take quite awhile to heal, at least a couple of weeks or so I think

I do hope you will heal quickly and begin to feel better soon

Try to get some rest

Hugs

V M 

[Linde]

Did anybody tell you the cause of the infection?  A surgical wound infection will never come out of the blue, there is always a reason behind it, and if that reason is not found and hopefully eliminated, the infection can come back as long as the wound is not fully healed!

[Mendi]

Was in ER today as the swelling is even worse today. The redness perhaps is getting down a bit.

Was given heavy pain killers and IV antiobiotics. Also nurses will visit my home 3 times a day for the next few days to administer IV antibiotics. Thankfully I didn´t have to stay in the hospital for this.

It is some sort of bacterial infection. Just a good reminder, that no matter how small surgical operation, there is always a chance, that something will go horribly wrong.

I was comforted by the young male doctor, that the voice is not damaged permanently.

[Maid Marion]

Hi Mendi,

Sorry you have to go through this complication!  May you get better soon!


Marion

[Linde]

It is some sort of bacterial infection. Just a good reminder, that no matter how small surgical operation, there is always a chance, that something will go horribly wrong.

This is not the case!  If all required sterile procedures would have been followed, you would have not gotten this infection.  At some point was a breach in the sterile procedures, and the pathogens were introduced into your wound.

I made part of my living in pre- and post surgical infection control and prevention,  and we specifically looked into the post surgical wound infections.
Send me a PM if you want to talk in more detail about it!

[V M]

Glad you are getting the care you need and you're able to heal up at home Mendi

Keep us posted of your progress and may your recovery be a swift one 

Hugs

V M

[Mendi]

I´m a nurse too and I do know, that yes, there was a breach of sterile skin, instrument or something during or shortly after the operation.

That just happens sometimes. At least that is my experience. I do not know a single hospital that can avoid infections completely.

[Linde]

I´m a nurse too and I do know, that yes, there was a breach of sterile skin, instrument or something during or shortly after the operation.

That just happens sometimes. At least that is my experience. I do not know a single hospital that can avoid infections completely.

And that is why the facilities fight nosocomial infections like the plague, because most insurances don't pay for them!  I think that a good surgical team would have tried to find out where the breach was, to correct it in the future.  I think they should have told you, what organism did cause your infection, specifically if they knew that you are a nurse!