The Chamber

My mother in law has gone home and I am spending my days by myself. Greg comes in after work and stays with me most of the evening. Physical therapy has not assessed me so the nurses will not move me. I am confined to bed which is okay until I have to go to the bathroom. They have brought me a bedside commode but I am not allowed to put any pressure on either of my feet. I am trying to explain to the nurse via notecards and sign language that I have to go. I am doing the potty dance in my bed. Greg gets to the hospital and I get across to him that I have to go and it is now a potty emergency. He gets the nurse and she is standing in the door way explaining how they are not going to touch me until PT assesses me. While she is still talking Greg comes over scoops me out of bed, carries me over and places me on the toilet. Oh, what sweet relief!


I still can’t talk but my doctor tells me they are going to down size my trach which will make it easier for me to eat and will allow me to talk. The smaller trash will also allow me to start hyperbaric oxygen treatment. My trach is downsized I now have a very raspy weak voice.
 I go to my first hyperbaric treatment, they tell me it is like taking off in an airplane. I will have to get my ears to pop to equalize something. Well, that is all fine in theory but if you have ever had a trach you know every time you go to blow your nose it blows out your neck. This can also be a lot of fun. Burping through your neck is a really funky experience and I have hocked my best loogie ever. It had height and distance every golfers dream. It flew out of my neck and landed on the wall next to my TV.

Okay I have gotten sidetracked, my first hyperbaric treatment I can’t equalize and I get the worst headache that will not go away. I am on pretty strong painkillers, but they are not working on my headache. Late that evening my pulmonologist comes to see me asks how I am doing I tell him about my headache, he says he write something for it.
 I now make up every excuse I can come up with to not go back to the hyperbaric chamber. They decide that I need tubes in my ears or my trach removed. I get both my trach is capped which makes it a lot easier to talk but harder to breath. The problem with having my trach removed is there is still a gaping hole in my neck. I still can’t build up pressure to pop my ears. So I get tubes in my ears I now have no excuse for not going to The Chamber. The hyperbaric chamber is a long clear tube with stretcher like bed very thin mattress NOT comfortable. Getting you in the chamber is a process you have to have a hospital gown or scrubs. Right before you go in you have to be grounded to the chamber so you don’t catch on fire while you are in there. There is no emergency release you have to be brought out gradually or you could get the bends like a scuba diver. There are no potty breaks! They give you a bottle of water which I can’t have because I am on honey thick liquids. I get a blanket, a pillow for head and one for my butt. They put you in and put on a movie of your choice. This becomes my favorite part of the day, I know for 2 hours I will not be poked, prodded, harassed or even talked to. I am in my own little world for 2 hours.