Ready to rid our lives of some stuff!

Well we are now on day 6 of Steves new life. I took a look around our room and decided it was time to be rid of a few things.

First I rolled out the oxygen compressor that is the size of a small refrigerator and sounds like an idling car. During the summer it put out so much heat our room was never below 90 degrees! Sure it might come in handy now that it is getting cold but did you read where I said it sounds like an idling car?

Along with the O2 machine went the miles and miles of tubing. That stuff actually jumps out to trip you every chance it gets. And I always had that nagging fear the puppy would chew through it and starve my poor unsuspecting husband of his precious air.

I also rolled out the spare O2 tank sitting in the corner. We were warned not to place it in the closet as it needed to "breathe". I'm still trying to figure that one out! While it wasn't as obtrusive as the big machine I did worry. You see I have two boys who are afflicted with a little of bit of pyromania and every time they came in my room they would eyeball that thing with such a longing look. I think it's best I remove that temptation.

While I was at it I packed up the Bi-pap machine. The $6000 Bi-pap machine for my husbands severe sleep apnea. The severe sleep apnea that he doesn't have anymore! I won't return it until we decide if this is permanent. If the trach is removed the apnea comes back. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But in the meantime it can be stowed away in the closet where we don't have to look at it everyday!

I actually put away the nebulizer. It is still close by as he could need it from time to time if he gets a cold or needs a treatment if he has asthma issues. But he certainly is not needing it 6-8 times a day like he was. It can be pulled out of a drawer for the occasional times we may need it. I can also stow away the millions of supplies I constantly needed for it.

I have a feeling if things continue to progress well I can probably be rid of a few of the medicines that are taking up precious space.

Now I did have to add a couple of things. Of course there is the suction machine. I currently have that sitting in the kitchen. There is better lighting there and with all the other junk in our bedroom there was no space. I'm not sure what I will do with it yet. Especially considering that it has sat there and gathered dust since we got home. We used it once Thursday morning and have not touched it since. I'm told that is almost unheard of.

I did get a small humidifier that sits on the desk next to the bedside. The supply company did give us a machine for humidification but as small as it is it sounds like an idling engine. An idling diesel engine. No thank you.

We did get about $1000 worth of supplies. We sat and went through everything yesterday and just shook our heads. For the thousand dollars the insurance was billed we could have easily purchased all of those "supplies" for a fraction of that. The "trach care kits" are hysterical. For $10 a kit {we got a box of 30, a charge of $300...they send this monthly} you get a plastic 2 compartment tray, 1 pair of gloves {they aren't even sterile} 1 poly lined drape {it looks like that towel the dentist lays under your chin} 1 teeny tiny nylon bristle brush {the nurses actually told us DO NOT USE THAT BRUSH!} 1 slit trach gauze {they show you online how to make this out of a simple 4x4 gauze, and Steve rarely needs it anyway} 4 4x4 gauze sponges, 1 twill tape {no idea what THAT is for...it looks like a shoestring} 3 pipe cleaners and 2 cotton tipped applicators {people, they are Q-Tips!}. All of this for $300 a month. Our durable medical is $1000 a year. I think we will gather these supplies, only half or less of which are even necessary, ourselves.

We will be contacting the supply company on Monday to come pick up most of this "stuff". Now don't get me wrong, I am sure there are probably some people that really need all that stuff. I just guess we don't. And we are ok with that, we need the space!