gosh - help if u can

shon-mg · #1 09-08-2009, 08:29 PM

Hey all
My son Marcus hasn't had a mucous plug in over 3 years and has always been over gurgly - the hospital used to say he was the noisest trachie kid they had. ha ha
Recently he has been getting very dry - had a thick green plug on Saturday night but the others have only been white.
Any idea why its happening all of a sudden?
Only thing I can think of is that he being tube fed so he's not aspirating, ha ha its probably not the real reason thou.
He is wearing his swedish nose all the time.

Thanks
Shona

Niff · #2 09-09-2009, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shon-mg

Hey all
My son Marcus hasn't had a mucous plug in over 3 years and has always been over gurgly - the hospital used to say he was the noisest trachie kid they had. ha ha
Recently he has been getting very dry - had a thick green plug on Saturday night but the others have only been white.
Any idea why its happening all of a sudden?
Only thing I can think of is that he being tube fed so he's not aspirating, ha ha its probably not the real reason thou.
He is wearing his swedish nose all the time.

Thanks
Shona

Did he always wear his swedish nose constantly? If not, that might be the cause.

A green plug would cause me to think some sort of infection is brewing. Are the others pure white or a white-ish cream?

lynn · #3 09-09-2009, 07:18 AM

Green would also make me think of an infection starting. Is he showing any other signs? fever/increase work of breathing?

Another thought- does he have allergies? Could the changing seasons be affecting him?

JWorthington · #4 09-09-2009, 07:41 AM

I agree, green could signify an infection, it's worth getting a trach culture. Sam was always pretty loose when he wore his swedish nose all the time.

LKN · #5 09-09-2009, 09:27 AM

Nathan has allergies and when he was trached he would sometimes have green secretions or dark yellow/amber secretions. It was just allergies for him--not an infection. If there is no fever my bet is on allergies.

alizesmom · #6 09-09-2009, 10:37 AM

It wouldn't hurt to check for an underlying infection but we have occasionally had the rare green plug with no illness present. With Ciara, we ended up having to increase warmth/humidity as well as upsize the trach. HTH.

Karen

Angel 1 · #7 09-09-2009, 03:26 PM

Hi! Shona,

As Julie says it could be the start of an infection, if not it could be due to the change in the weather. Have you got a nebuliser if so give it to him, also if you have an humidifier put that on and it will put the moisture back into the air, you can also put the saline that you use with the nebuliser in the water and that works well as he will be inhaling the saline through the nebuliser. When you suction him out in the morning take a sample and then take to your community nurses (if you have them) or the doctors and ask them to do a culture check on it.
We have just done this with Cheyanne and it came back that she has got psudemona again, so we are going to put the humidifier on with some saline in. We got this tip from someone in New Zealand.

Hope this helps you out.

Jo.

Kaylie · #8 09-09-2009, 04:07 PM

has he always been tube fed? and has he always worn a nose? what is the weather like were you live? it could one of many things, but can u give us more info.. if he has never had them in 3 years and now he does? have u guys done anything different at all?