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So this is the miraculous little cap that fits right over Gracie's trach. It's really just a plastic cap! I swear I have one of these on the bottom of the leg of my ironing board- it's honestly the same idea!
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It totally blocks all airflow through her trach and allows her to practice breathing through her mouth and nose. We have already had it on her for a couple of hours at a time and she is doing amazingly well! She doesn't mind it at all- in fact, she loves to wear it because she can be LOUD!! We are to work up to having her wear it all day, every day so that her lungs and airway can get strong and comfortable with use. We take it off at night so that she can sleep without any chance of obstruction (and we can sleep too!).
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On October 4th our ENT will do another airway scope (bronchoscopy) to see how things look. He will look for any signs of trachealmalacia, scar tissue, and most importantly, upper airway obstruction. If things look open and clear, then he will schedule a sleep study in which Gracie will be closely monitored over night with her trach cap on. If that goes well, she can get her trach out before winter time hits. If she still needs more time, we will try again in the spring. Fingers crossed!