Life with a tracheostomy

An interview with Mrs. Edeltraud Stegemann

Mrs. Edeltraud Stegemann is a 75-year-old from Bad Vilbel in Germany. She has been tracheotomized twice, survived a cardiac arrest and today leads a full life with a tracheostomy. We were privileged to sit down and interview Mrs. Stegemann to gain some insight into her extraordinary experience.

Thank you for letting us interview you, Mrs. Stegemann. Can you tell us when and why you were tracheotomized?

I was tracheotomized twice in total. I was diagnosed with larynx cancer in 2014, which was to be treated with chemotherapy and radiation. One evening the tumor started bleeding and I had to have an emergency tracheostomy. I then kept the tracheostoma for about 2 months before it was closed again. 

Due to radiation therapy, the trachea constricted, resulting in daily stridor (a breathing sound that occurs because of constriction of the airway. It can sound like whistling or hissing). As a result, after many more treatments, I was tracheotomized again in 2016 and have been living with the tracheostomy ever since. 

Can you tell us about your daily life?

My husband makes me breakfast every morning and then we eat together quietly. Since my esophagus is narrowed by the radiation, I need a lot of time to eat. I have to strongly insalivate the food so that I can swallow. Normally I would have to use a feeding tube, but that was not an option for me. So, I prefer to take my time and go to the clinic about every 6-8 months for widening of the esophagus. 

I love to be out in the fresh air and therefore spend most of my time outdoors in the summer. In winter, I’m often in our conservatory, where there are also two fitness machines that I use to keep fit. 

How do you manage tracheostomy care? Have you developed a routine?

Yes, my husband changes the tracheostomy tube in the morning and evening and cleans the tracheostoma thoroughly. I do the small cleaning in between. 

Do you use different products during the day than at night? 

Yes, at night I wear a size 9 silicon tube with a Provox XtraFlow HME or, rarely, a Freevent DigiTop. Here I have the option of speaking, if I press on the XtraFlow HME or the DigiTop, but I rarely speak at night (laughs). During the day, I use a size 10 silicone tube with the Freevent DualCare speaking valve.