How Many Times Do You Suction?

[Ainsley's Mom]

Hey everyone, just wanted to know how often people are doing it. Suctioning that is. I hope I covered all the possibilities. Thanks!

[TommysMommy]

I said 6-10 because most of our suctioning is first thing in the morning. Once he's cleared out his nighttime gunk for the day, he might need suctioning once or twice before bedtime.

[alizesmom]

Again I voted for Alize. Ciara would have been 1-5 times a day. Karen

[drct1245]

I chose 21-49 times. But I don't know - that's worst case. We only suction about 4-8 times with a catheter. The rest is with a tip suction, which I don't count as suctioning b/c he does all the work... so???

[suzanne2545]

I voted 6-10 times a day. All tip. But a year ago my answer wouldn have been 100+. Just wanted to add that for the newbies so they see that things can change.

[cariaad]

I voted 1-6 times as when Allison is well we usually have a morning suction and that's it. BUT when she's sick, well, we suction a lot! But who's counting, right? When she was a little baby we suctioned about every 10 minutes! Deb

[JWorthington]

I voted 6-10, though I remember the early days like Deb, about every 10 minutes! Phew glad that's over

Juliex

[Ola]

Good to know - for me it is 100+ ;-) Michael is the Great Secretor.

[Ainsley's Mom]

Thanks for polling guys! I voted 50-100 because we really do suction Ainlsey that much. Probably more to the 50 end than 100. I know many of you say it gets better and I really hope that happens for Ainsley someday. Perhaps she's aspirating saliva or something. I'm hoping Dr. Cotton will be able to help with figuring it out.

Yesterday I had to literally suction her 20 times while changing her diaper and changing her dress. It was a preschool day and we went from being ready to go (except Ainsley) 25 minutes early to a full hour late. (I did also have to stop to get gas because hubby left the car on empty.) Of course she's a wee bit sick so it's worse than normal. Poor Adrian, missing so much play time at school.

I can't even imagine what I'd do if I wasn't suctioning all day long.

[LKN]

We suction the most in the morning like some others--the wake-up junk is soooo nasty! We might suction 2 or 3 times the rest of the day. He coughs up everything on his own so we don't have to ever do hard core suctioning. He brings it up and over the hub, and I suction his shirt!

Like someone else said, when he first came home at a month old we suctioned 100+ times a day!

[Mom2TwinsPlus1]

We are 1-6 times a week. We usually suction once a week. Emma has no real cough reflex but she just doesn't make a lot of gunk I guess and its thin enough she is able to get some of it up by herself despite the fact she has no cough, weird I know

[annettevz]

I chose 6-10 times a day and it all tip suction. Like a few of you, its mostly in the morning. The rest of the day, when Ash coughs it ends up on her shirt so I just wipe it away. Way back when, I would have voted 100+ a day. Thank God thats over!!

Annette

[saywhatyouwill]

we used to get through 6-700 catheters a week and got in trouble for it. now probably use 300 a week. but we were never thought WHEN to suction, just how.

[Ainsley's Mom]

we used to get through 6-700 catheters a week and got in trouble for it. now probably use 300 a week. but we were never thought WHEN to suction, just how.

I just wanted to say that we reuse catheters. We run saline through after each use and throw them away at the end of the day. Sometimes we change them out a few times a day. I couldn't stock enough catheters if I threw them away after a single use. Not that I'm recommending that. Ainlsey is lucky in that it doesn't seem to cause any problems. She's never been hospitalized (for non-surgical reasons) or had a serious respiratory infection (just an occasional cold).

[alizesmom]

I just wanted to say that we reuse catheters. We run saline through after each use and throw them away at the end of the day. Sometimes we change them out a few times a day. I couldn't stock enough catheters if I threw them away after a single use. Not that I'm recommending that. Ainlsey is lucky in that it doesn't seem to cause any problems. She's never been hospitalized (for non-surgical reasons) or had a serious respiratory infection (just an occasional cold).

We reuse on Alize as well and it has never bothered him. Until we get the tracheitis under control we will use a new one each time with Ciara. Karen

[Becky]

I put 11-20 times a day, and its probably on the high end, closer to 20. Thats because of my chronic lung disease, and my lungs creates a lot of mucus. And add to that that I don't have a strong enough cough it up and out makes for a lot of suctioning.

Becky

[faywrayy]

Add Kate to the 6-10x/day group, and most of that is in the morning. If she's sick, it's probably more like 21-49.

I remember the old days too....ugh, so glad that's over!

[Lifeisgood]

I'm not often jealous - but suctioning LESS than 50-100 times a day?!?!?! WOW! I really don't know what I'd do with all that free time!!! I'm happy when we can go an hour without suctioning. And she's getting pretty good at coughing it up. What gives?!?!?!?

Happy suctioning everyone!

[Ainsley's Mom]

I'm not often jealous - but suctioning LESS than 50-100 times a day?!?!?! WOW! I really don't know what I'd do with all that free time!!! I'm happy when we can go an hour without suctioning.

'Aint that the truth! I would love to suction less that 10 times a day! I might even like the trach then. (Well okay, probably not) Other than when she's asleep (which is a lot thank god) we have NEVER gone an hour without suctioning. Once an hour wouldn't be too bad!

Ainsley too about the coughing. If it weren't for the fact that she would then throw up I could probably let her just cough it out.

[Hanna]

I am one of the two that put Never or Almost Never.

Ever since she was put on a medicine called Mucomyst ( it makes the secretions thinner ) so she can cough it up her self. When she was younger we did it allot.
Every so often when she has really bad pneumonia I have to suction, she does get allot of those due to chronic aspiration and it is starting to affect her sats so now we need a pulmo Dr. and we do not have a pediatric pulmo here. :mad: