Post resection complications

I am back in the hospital only three weeks after my trachea resection.  Things were going fine until two days ago when I noticed stridor sounds and increased coughing.  Uh oh…was my first thought.  This thing is re-stenosing and I was going to have to get another dilation or worse yet, a re-resection.

So here I am in the ICU at Emory University Hospital Midtown and am being administered strong IV steroids and breathing treatments.  They say I may have a shot of getting discharged tomorrow depending on how it looks when they scope me in the morning. 

UPDATE *** I have a 50% narrowing of my trachea already…the resection failed. I am being admitted to the ICU and they’ve scheduled a dialiton for the morning.

I am actually more scared now than I was before I had the big tracheal resection surgery three weeks ago.  Those doctors at Emory University Otolaryngology assured me a 98% success rate and said patients rarely exhibit re-stenosis.

I followed all my aftercare instructions so I don’t know why this is happening to me. If anyone has any experience like this, please comment. Thanks.

Tracheal Stenosis – What is it?

Laryngotracheal stenosis (Laryngo-: Glottic Stenosis; Subglottic Stenosis; Tracheal: narrowings at different levels of the windpipe) is a more accurate description for this condition when compared, for example to subglottic stenosis which technically only refers to narrowing just below vocal folds or tracheal stenosis. In babies and young children however, the subglottis is the narrowest part of the airway and most stenoses do in fact occur at this level. Subglottic stenosis is often therefore used to describe central airway narrowing in children, and laryngotracheal stenosis is more often used in adults.

Surgical Treatment of Laryngeal and Tracheal Stenosis

The Laryngologists of the Emory Voice Center perform cutting edge procedures to restore breathing in patients with laryngeal and tracheal stenosis.  This includes the full range of interventions from minimally invasive procedures such as endoscopic balloon tracheoplasty to major open airway surgeries such as tracheal and cricotracheal resections.

The Emory Voice Center also offers comprehensive evaluation, preventive care, and intervention for vocal professionals.