I have been wearing a tracheal tube of one type or another since October of 95. I started with a hard plastic unit and went to metal tubes when I started having lots of problems with granulation tissue as my stoma site. I am a very active person and as I was able to do more and more physical activities the curved tubes were causing erosion problems in my trachea. I swapped to a Montgomery tube and even though the relief was immediate in that the erosion problems and pain went away, a new painful problem arose. When I had to pull and replace the Montgomery tube the trauma and pain at the stoma site was a painful and unpleasant experience.
In mid 2006 Linda Oberrender, BNS, MHA, RN, CORLN, from Texas Center for Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Eugene Alford, MD, FACS, emailed me some literature on the TPI tracheal cannula and my world changed for the better. It took us a few tries to get the correct size but I have been very happy with how the unit fits and performs.
The ease of and the painless removal/replacement of the tube is quite a blessing. I am a cyclist, thus my head has to be on a swivel as I cruise the roads in my area and there are no problems with something jabbing me or friction issues which can cause irritation. The unit is so easy to remove and replace that I have on occasion stopped on the road and cleaned/flushed and replaced it. When my first unit arrived the material was so thin and soft that my first thought was no way this thing is going to stay in place. I was wrong. I can’t end this testimonial without praising the efforts of TPI in making sure that I had the correct size and was 100% satisfied. I also have Linda Oberrender to thank for finding this great product for me.
Roberto Morales