Making the trach decision

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When my daughter Emma was born, she suffered a hypoxic event that caused significant brain damage. Unable to coordinate eating and breathing, and with little hope that she would master those skills in a reasonable amount of time, we opted to have a G-tube placed. The decision to place the G-tube was very straightforward. She had to eat, she couldn’t do so safely, so we moved forward with the surgery.

As the years went on, other procedures and surgeries were suggested to help her grow, thrive, and to otherwise maintain a good quality of life. Procedures like the Nissen Fundoplication, botox injections, or tenotomies. These interventions were always very clear-cut, obviously needed, and were agreed upon by her whole medical team. It made the decision-making process very easy.

The decision to move forward with a tracheotomy, however, was much more difficult and emotionally charged for us. Because it was basically for secretion management and not an airway issue per se, it was not as clear-cut of a decision as the other procedures had been . . .

CONTINUED @: Complex Child

difficult decisionsparent's storiestracheostomy