Discomforts of Positive Pressure vs. Comforts of Negative Pressure

With my respiratory arrest in 1992, I had a lot of discomfort with having a trach and being attached to respirator tubes. After all the years of using negative pressure, I hated being trached because trachs create mucous as it is a foreign object in the throat. I was used to having an open tracheotomy without having the trach tube in my throat. Trachs are not necessary for negative pressure, but I have used the Porta-Lung while with a trach. The Porta-Lung is easily adapted to those with trachs. When you try it, you will see how it eliminates all of those discomforts of positive pressure!
Another discomfort of positive pressure is the sporadic breathing pattern. It is nerve wracking to be on a positive pressure machine because it is foreign to one’s respiratory system. As I stated in a previous blog, the rhythm of the breaths is cause for alarm because it only shoots air into the lungs. There is either too much time between breaths or not enough time. It is scary to wonder if you are getting enough air or to feel like you’re hyper-ventilating. It is very disconcerting. The lungs receive no exercise or stimulus to get the person to ultimately breathe on one’s own so for one with paralysis to the lungs, positive pressure is useless. I got weaker the longer I used positive pressure. The tubing causes infections and some problems with swallowing while eating.