How many have required intubation as part of treatment for WG?

[drz]

Just wondering how many have required intubation as part of their treatment for WG disease? for How long were you intubated?
Any tracheotomies?

[andrew]

I was intubated the day after I was admitted to hospital. Was like that for some days then was replaced with a Trach which was in for five weeks or so. That reminds me, I must start an 'I hate tracheotomies' group on facebook

[JanW]

I did not, although I have stenosis and have found that people on these forums who have this involvement and are not seeing a WG ENT were getting trached when their windpipe was even larger than mine (I was down to 2 mm). So if stenosis is the situation of anyone coming into this thread go to the section about that specifically for some advice. It can be tough to wean off a trach so should be avoided.

[pberggren1]

what is intubation?

[elephant]

When the put a tube down your trachea so that you can breath.

[pberggren1]

I think I had that just before diagnosis.

[jola57]

No never had any problems requiring intubation

[talentx7]

Do they only intubate in an emergency??? Do you have any warning before you need this kind of treatment? What are the symptoms I should watch for?

[elephant]

Intubation is required when some is in respiratory distress/ failure. Then they go on a breathing machine.

[gwenllian111]

I was intubated when I was 14 years old, for 3 weeks in Intensive Care. I had this awful dry cough, and I was fitting trying to breathe all the time, so I was taken into theatre to have a lung a kidney biopsy, and then taken to ITU. My lungs were bleeding, and collapsing, and I was in Kidney failure.

I'll never forget the doctors taking me off intubation. I remember this big green tube being bought out of me, but it took a while for my lungs to start working on their own again. Those few seconds seemed like a life time, I can still remember it as though it was yesterday.

I developed tracheal stenosis a few years later, and I suppose it's debatable whether it was caused by the intubation, WG, or a bit of both. Who knows.