About Sydney Skye...
Hi Friends! My name is Sydney Skye...I was born 1 pound, 2 ounces at 24 weeks! Throughout my journey, I have overcome many medical procedures and miracles! Because I was born at lung development, I needed extra help from a device called a trach (tracheostomy). My trach along with a ventilator and oxygen, allowed my lungs time to develop and grow slowly on their own until they could function and operate fully on their own. Since I needed what I call "accessories to life (ATL)" during my early development, I never learned how to eat by mouth. That caused me to have to get another ATL called a G-Button or G-Tube (gastrostomy). That's where they placed a tube in my belly to allow my food and milk to go straight into my stomach. It's soooooo cool! Come with me on this journey of discovery as you will get to see me overcome many obstacles that were put in my way! I will also take you on the "Road to Food"...This is where you will get to watch me learn how to eat by mouth! Come along!
Tracheostomy (Trach)
Tracheostomy is a procedure to help air and oxygen reach the lungs by creating an opening into the trachea (windpipe) from outside the neck. A person with a tracheostomy breathes through a
tracheostomy tube inserted in the opening. A tracheostomy may be performed on a person with a problem that prevents air and oxygen from reaching the lungs. It involves making a surgical opening into the trachea through the neck and inserting a tube through which the person breathes.
The procedure may be performed on an emergency basis if a person has a sudden airway problem, or as an elective procedure if a chronic health condition is making it difficult for a person to breathe normally. A tracheostomy may be temporary or permanent and may use different types of tubes depending on the individual situation. All tracheotomies are performed to address a lack of air getting to the lungs. An emergency tracheotomy may be performed on a person with an acute illness or traumatic injury that blocks their airway.
A person with chronic illness, such as a condition that blocks the airway or paralyzes the breathing muscles, may have a tracheotomy as an elective procedure. A trach tube can make it easier to breathe. For some people on mechanical ventilation or who are receiving intensive care, a tracheotomy may be easier to tolerate and require less sedating medication than having an endotracheal tube placed down the throat.
Gastrostomy (G-Tube)
A gastrostomy is a surgical procedure used to insert a tube, often referred to as a "G-tube", through the abdomen and into the stomach. Gastrostomy is used to provide a route for tube feeding if needed for four weeks or longer, and/or to vent the stomach for air or drainage.
Children may have this procedure if they are in need of an intestine transplant or after intestinal transplantation. If your child is unable to eat enough food by mouth or needs extra calories to grow, a gastrostomy can help him get the nutrition he needs. A gastrostomy can also act as a drainage tube to bypass an obstruction, so that your child's stomach does not accumulate acid and fluids. Sometimes, when a patient cannot tolerate a nasogastric tube (or NG-tube, which reaches the stomach through the nose), doctors use a gastrostomy instead to drain and empty the stomach after surgery.
A gastrostomy may be in place permanently or only temporarily. It is considered a more long-term method of alternate feeding than NG- or nasojejunal (NJ) tube feeding. (NJ-tube feeding also goes through the nose, but instead of the stomach it goes into the part of the intestine just after the stomach – the jejunum.) However, once your child is able to eat safely and to eat enough by mouth to keep up his nutrition, surgeons may remove the gastrostomy tube.