New Equipment
Journal entry by Denise Allen —
After a few scares with the Bi-Pap/AVAPS machine Mary has been using since February, she received a Trilogy 100 ventilator on Friday. It has a lot more bells and whistles (settings and alarms) and internal backup batteries in case of power failures. She says it’s like going from a ’65 Bug to a Cadillac – and the ride is different. We’re still fine-tuning all the settings and alarms that her previous machine didn’t have. Soon we’ll have it just right so that she is breathing comfortably and we can have a little less worry about ventilator failures. Now to make sure all the caregivers know how it works!
The Trilogy is a ventilator because she is using it 24/7 to support her breathing. She does not have a trach; she wears a face mask similar to what is worn with a bi-pap for apnea. She’s getting a new face mask today that will hopefully be more comfortable.
Below you can see one of the neckbraces she uses to keep her head upright as well as her preferred mask for the BiPap and Trilogy. You can also see her neck without the brace while modeling her “John Lennon look”.
