my dad had half his lower jaw removed at Oakland Kaiser on January 19th. It went great. He looks great. after two days in rehab he developed pnemonia. We live in Folsom so they took him to Kaiser Roseville. His pnemonia is gone but he needs the feeding tube moved from his nose to his intestine (it can't go into his stomach) I just heard that none of the surgeons feel comfortable doing this surgery and that he would have to be discharged to a rehab facility and then taken to other hospitals for consult. I told them absolutely not! I don't want him thrown from place to place. It wouldn't be good for his health.. i am so frustrated. He is depressed and wants to come home but can't until they move his feeding tube. any suggestions.. my parents are in their late 70's.

I must say that this is the first time I have heard of placing a feeding tube into the intestines. Did they tell you why a standard PEG is not an option?

Kaiser refered me to UCSFCCC for my radiation therapy so it might not be a bad thing for him to be refered to an institution with experience in managing his particular case. They do refer patients outside of the system and they pay 100% typically - I never paid a co-pay at UCSF. My RO at UCSF saved my life. I have no complaints with the level of services that I receive from Kaiser.

It is my understanding that food and medication are broken down by stomach acid ,and then absorbed in to the blood stream where they are filtered through the liver and distributed to the parts of the body they are required.Unless anatomy has changed a lot in the last 30 years ,surely feeding and medicating direct in to the intestine will mean a lot of the active ingredients of drugs,will be lost.Maybe i am wrong because i know you can take some medication by suppository,but it still sounds a bit strange
We were told robs medication worked much quicker because it went straight into the stomach,and was absorbed very rapidly.

Cookey, that's pretty much my understanding about how the stomach breaks things down too, though I have heard of "J tubes" which I think go into the intestine directly. I'm sure if you bypass the stomach like that there must be different issues than for a G tube. But I'm sure doctors would place a g tube if they could--there must be some good reason.

Ali, sorry we can't give you more advice, I can understand your concern about moving your father. My mother is in her late 70s too, as was my father when he passed away, and that is the age when it takes the body much longer to recover it seems. It's great your dad has someone caring for him that understands that.

Nelie

Nelie

Hi Nelie nice to see you back,and sorry guys,that double vision thing just hit me again

LOL cookey , Ilike that name for double vision.

I don't know how I managed to sign my name twice to that post...obviously I hadn't had my afternoon coffee :-)