Inviting Fellow Porta Lung Users

I was talking to the mother of a Porta Lung user the other day because they are going to donate one of their old Porta Lungs to me and she suggested that I describe how my porta lung is set up. I don't know if anyone cares but I'll tell you anyway. My Porta Lung is set up on a folding table with the back end propped up on books to elevate my feet so that any mucous in my throat or lungs will automatically drain to my head. That way I don't get congested. We like to dress up the table with a pretty pink, blue and green striped bedspread so it matches the blue of the Porta Lung and makes it blend in to my room. The folding table is only wide enough to hold my Porta Lung so we just keep the NEV-100 on the floor beside the table. We make sure the NEV is far enough out from the wall so it can vent properly and not overheat. My dad, mom or one of my siblings carries me and puts me in the Porta Lung. Then they slide my head through the front porthole so that my body rests inside the 48 inch cylinder with my head sticking out the front, resting on a firm foam pillow. Once my head is through the front porthole, then the polar tech or nylon collar is turned slowly until I say when it feels tight enough to get the required pressure without encountering a lot of leakage of air. It is a bit tricky because I have a trach (most Porta Lung users probably don't have trachs) and so the one who puts me in the Porta Lung has to be so careful that the trach stays outside the collar so that the machine doesn't suck the air out of me. If this should happen, I could die. So we are extra careful. After my hospital visit in Pittsburgh my trach hole (stoma) was lowered with a second tracheotomy and from then on my trach hole appears underneath the Lung collar. As a result, my parents invented a makeshift trach out of a suction catheter and I put that in my hole for night time use only. This way we can make sure that the trach remains outside the collar. We also wrap a polar tech cloth around my neck to protect my neck from sores but also this cloth helps to cover up my stoma to further prevent the air from being sucked out of me. They shut the fiberglass door and snap the latches in place to keep the machine closed, turn the NEV-100 on, and I'm good to go for the night!


Now, I am going to take this opportunity to extend an invitation to other Porta Lung users to tell their setups with the Porta Lung. What is your setup? How do you like it? Do you have family members help you get in your Porta Lung? Or do you require nursing assistance to help you? If you don't mind telling about your experience with your Porta Lung, I really welcome you to come on this blog and share your stories.