Paula, Im so sorry you are struggling with everything right now.

Yes there are several different types of feeding tubes. When someone needs a feeding tube they normally get the PEG tube. It is a basic tube which goes right into the stomach. I had this type for 1 1/2 years and it worked great. Then there is a tube called the J tube. That one goes into the intestine (or bowel) right past the stomach.

The third type is the J/G tube. This is the type I currently have. Its the best of both worlds. It was necessary to have this type due to my original PEG tube being dislodged and somehow attached itself to the abdomin wall. Last year, I was in agony and suffered for several days before I was taken seriously and an Xray and MRI were done which found the problem. It is very rare for anyone to have that type of issue with a regular PEG tube. The J/G tube has 3 ports on the top, one for needles, one for the stomach and the third one which is the largest goes into the intestine. The intestine port is where I attach the feeding bag to for my tube feedings.

The J/G tube wears out quickly and needs to be replaced every 2 to 3 months. It seems to be a very easy procedure where the doc does his surgery using moniters that show my insides like xrays. They rub lidocain on my stomach to numb it and start to finish is usually only about 15 minutes. What makes this type of tube the best for me is that it comes with a white bag which can be attached to the stomach port of my tube. When Im nasauous and feel like I will throw up, I attach the white bag and it sucks out all the gunk out of my stomach. It pulls the bad stuff out quickly and I instantly feel better. It saves me from throwing up and within 30 seconds I feel like the whole thing never happened. Another big thing is with this type of tube you cant pull back on the syringe to check for stomach residual. That act would collapse the balloon and could pull the tube out of the stitches causing a huge problem. Not every nurse knows this about the J/G tube since its not that common to have this type.

Of course there is also the nasal tube. Im not familiar with that kind. I think Davidcpa used this type for a short time when he went thru chemo/rads. He may be able to tell you more about that one.

Im sure there are other types of tubes but I only know of these 4 types. I hope this helps.