On the Feelings of the Female Family Members of a Laryngectomee

The purpose of this research is to shed light on the feelings of family members who have been taking care of a laryngectomee from the pre-operation stage to the current stage and to gain meaningful suggestions for the practice of nursing support. We conducted an interview with three female spouses and made a qualitative and inductive analysis of the data. The analysis brings out 7 categories and 20 subcategories. The extracted categories are as follows: the female spouses of laryngectomees have the experience of having an agony accompanying their spouse\u27s daily life struggles with the illness; having a full realization of changes in the situation such as their spouses\u27 loss of voice after the operation; the female spouses have the feeling of not wanting others to know their husband\u27s condition; supporting each other among the family members; and as for their feelings, they feel relief by sharing with those who have had the same kind of experience; their husband\u27s condition, the female spouses have the sense of feeling reassured about their spouse\u27s prognosis; and moreover, the female spouses are in a state of being thankful to nurses. This study has revealed the relief and agony of the spouse of a laryngectomee who strives for better care among the family members in the course of the patient\u27s struggle against the illness and psychological transition, and has uncovered the need for providing firm supports for the spouses of laryngectomees and for providing more opportunities for them to share their experiences