Well, summer is here. What a wonderful time!! I am doing much better with walking again, but let me tell you from experience -- don't break your leg. It really is no fun!! It's really hard to carry things when you have to use two crutches. But enough of that. I am much better and am almost back to the normal I had before I broke it.

Today is a gorgeous day. Had to go to the doctor today. I receive most of my medical care from the VA. It's really nice, except when you have to wait for 2 hours to see the doctor because they were late that morning, or when you never get to see the same provider twice so you have to explain your entire medical history every time you go in. Oh well. At least I have care and most of it is not bad. Today I had to explain (again) why people who have a trach cannot use dry powder inhalers. With a trach, I don't breathe through my mouth like most people. I had the trach put in in 2004 as a last resort. I was having so many health problems and breathing problems we couldn't keep my airway open. I had the trach put in to buy my some time to find a "cure" for my breathing problems. Turns out, the trach was the cure for me. I do not advocate everyone have this done. I worked for me and I am thankful. Before I had the trach put in, my body was shutting down and things (my heart and lungs especially) were starting to fail due to the stress from trying to breath and the allergies and problems. We hoped that the trach would allow me to live at least another year or so and give me some quality of life for that time. As you can see, it has given me a new lease on life. I am NOT cured. I still suffer from the allergies as before -- the difference is that my throat can no longer completely close and a life threatening asthma/allergy attack is actually preventable. It's hard for my throat to completely close with a chunk of plastic in it! After the surgery, when I was in ICU, the doctor walked in and saw me bouncing around the room and said to my mom, "I think I have unleashed a monster." I will be eternally grateful to him for giving me back my life. The best advice I have for someone whose MCS is as severe as mine is to find a pulmonologist and ENT doctor who will LISTEN to you.

Okay, so that is the history of my trach. I have it, it is part of me and I am very thankful for it. But, because of it, certain inhalers don't work. The dry powder just gunks up the trach and very little (if any) get into my lungs to work. Regular inhalers work when I use them in my trach. It just gets frustrating having to explain that to every doctor I see at the VA and sometimes they even think I don't need the trach or I am just being non-compliant with my treatment. Oh well. I know what I am doing and what works.

Ahh, the fun of also having to explain why they have to wash the hand sanitizer off before coming into the room to visit me. I just love new doctors. Maybe, after all is said and done they will actually learn something to take on to their practice after they finish their schooling. Most of the docs we see at the VA are interns on rotation at the VA working under a full-time VA doc. I have yet to meet the full time doc, but have seen lots of students!! The doc I saw today said she had learned more about trachs with me than she had before. My new job -- to teach our new doctors about MCS and trachs.