First Words

I got confirmation from a respiratory nurse last night that my mother's tracheotomy tube will come out once she is completely off the ventilator (I apologize if my previous post was confusing on this topic!) She was breathing for 16 hours on her own yesterday, and each day they will increase the time by two hours.

Today at lunchtime she received some speech therapy. They put a cap on her trach opening so that she could breath solely through her nose and mouth; which she was able to do comfortably. She was told to take a deep breath (and cough a little), then to try to say "Hi". After a few deep breaths she was able to let out a hoarse, gurgly "Hi." My Aunt Esy and Uncle Eliseo were in the room as well, getting teary eyed to hear my mom speak for the first time in a month. A little while after my Uncle left, my Aunt Emma (nicknamed "NaNa") showed up along with my Grandfather, Eliseo. My Aunt Esy was excited that my mom could now speak (sorta) and asked her to say "Hi NaNa"... so she took a big deep breath, and out came a hoarse and very low-pitched "Hi NaNa". We couldn't have been happier and had a good laugh at her endearing newly deep voice.

NaNa brought a whistle for my mom to use in case she needs the nurse since she is unable to speak out or use her hands; the nursing staff responded that she wouldn't be able to produce enough air to use the whistle, so instead they taped a sensor pad on her pillow that will alert them if my mother needs assistance; she would just need to touch it with her head. She has good mobility of her neck and shoulders so this was a huge relief for me to know she can now call for help at any time.

-Karen