Today was the big day: around 7:30am the residents (not the band) came by and removed my trache. In its place are some stitches, though they don’t close the hole perfectly. So there is still some healing to be done and i need to be observed for a few nights. But overall it feels great. Much easier to breathe than being taped and and it feels good to be back “in” my nose and mouth. On the downside, I seem to be a victim of a long hospital stay and have picked up some kind of nasty intestinal bug (of course they are doing tests to see what it is). This morning, after a particularly rough night I was prepared to check myself out today or tomorrow, but my doctor stopped hy and talked me down, so it is at least a couple more nights in here. On the plus side, I may get a day pass tomorrow. After 15 days, I sure could use it.