I�m following up on a discussion thread from last summer about the mic-key.

Tim�s mic-key balloon finally sprang a leak after 15 months. Of course, it had to pop out at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Why don�t these things ever happen at 10am on a Tuesday? We got our GI doc�s partner out of bed and he met us two hours later at the ER and put in a temporary tube until he could order a mic-key replacement.

While I was waiting for the doctor, I went on-line and watched the video about changing out the mic-key. It�s a very simple thing to do. The whole video was barely over five minutes. From now on, I am going to change them at home. The RO office that wrote the order for the food is adding a replacement tube to the order every three months. Since the GI doc charges tube changes as an out-patient procedure, our co-pay is $175. The mic-key can be bought through Amazon for less than that!

Tim hated the temporary tube. The extension hung down and had to be stuffed into his waistband. Since he jumps around a lot during lectures and was coughing from pneumonia, it would leak. It also didn�t fit his syringes for bolus feeding, would make a huge mess and feeding took over twice as long. He gets two new extension tubes each month for the mic-key, so they can�t get too gunky (and they�re easier to clean).

I don�t know why anyone who isn�t bedridden would ever not get a mic-key!

Susan