Question: my name is XXXXXXX i am 54 years old , C5 spinal injury since 1980 . In 2006, 2007 and 2008 i had 3 serious urine infection which lead to septisimia. I was in ITU each time requiring tracheostomy and ventilation . The first two times i recovered and had the trcheostomy removed. The third time i recovered but i was told i had to keep the tracheostomy all the time. For the first two years the tracheostomy gave me no problems . But for the last five years i have increased problems with secrections. I now use PEG Feeding because of increased secrections during eating and drinking. The problem has become so bad even without eating or drinking that i have tried hyocinth patches and now im taking GLYCOPYRROLATE 1MG four times a day.
The hyocinth patches and now the GLYCOPYRROLATE cause me to have a very dry mouth but i seem to be producing too much secretions in my throat about the level of my vocal cords or below causing me to require almost continuos suctioning and nebilisation. The worst part is the secretions drible down from the top of my throat down pass the tracheostomy outer wall and the inner back wall of my throat. It is not until the secretions pass the bottom of the tracheostomy tube then we can suction off these secretions but always leaving secretions trapped above the tracheostomy tube and the secretions trapped between the tracheostomy the back wall of my throat. The problem also increases when iturn from side to side in bed for pressure relief. I dont know if i can inrease the dose of GLYCOPYRROLATE or stop it as the secretions are very sticky and difficult to suction.
I am greatiful for any possible help you can give me. I have been to three ENT departments and they say that taking GLYCOPYRROLATE should stop the secretions but it gives me very thick secretions its difficult to suction.