On my first go-round, I never really found a satisfactory method of securing the PEG tube to keep it from flopping around. I ended up hanging it from a shoelace tied around my neck, but this was not great and it irritated my neck after while, especially as I got into my radiation treatments.

For night, I made a band to go around my torso by cutting the sleeves and neck off of a ladies spandex top to make an elastic tube. This worked OK, but tended to slip down.

I expect to have the PEG tube in longer this time than the first time around. I welcome suggestions on keeping it secure and comfortable.

Thanks!
Roger

I bought two of these and they were great. Comfortable and took care of the tube

http://www.exmed.net/p-2003-nu-hope-carefix-fabric-ostomyurology-pouch-support.aspx?Defaul tVariantID=20711

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"

Thank you T, that looks dynamite! And, the price is very reasonable. I'll have to give them a try!

Great idea!!!

When I had my peg tube switched to a J/G tube I was given one of these.

Another option is the pregnancy bands women use to help support their tummies. A ladies tube top would also work.

Something similar is a tubular mesh bandage, made of stretch fiber, which comes in rolls to be cut with a scissor to your specifications, pulled over head to stomach to secure ovet the tube, used once, more, washed or thrown out. This is what my hospital used.

Thanks Paul, another good idea!

I just got my tube this week and decided tape was going to drive me crazy. It was the ONLY option suggested by the home nurse. Argh.

I cut a band off one of my husband's old undershirts I was saving for rags, and am using a ponytail holder to take up the slack. Cheap and comfortable for this early post-op time.

I can't wait to see some of those other options.

Hi all,

Check this out:
www.mic-key.com/stories/meet-joey-schwartz.aspx

My husband has had this for about 3 1/2 years (hasn't swallowed since his surgery) and would never switch.

Hi KristenS,

That sounds very workable, and cheap too!

Roger

This mic-key looks pretty amazing, my main motivation to getting rid of my PEG tube comes from how much the damn thing flops all over the place and hurts when I try to exercise, this looks like it would completely solve the problem. I'm pushing the docs to take it out but am nervous about taking it out before I'm able to consistently swallow 8 cans of Ensure every single day. This solution would allow me to be 'patient'....thanks for posting it.

You should get the Mic-Key. You will be amazed at the freedom and ability to just about everything without the tube in the way. You can even slap some tegaderm over it and go swimming.

jneal.... Its smart to hang onto your feeding tube until you can go for 2 months sustaining yourself without using it. Recovery is full of ups and downs with many setbacks coming unexpectedly. I know how lousy it is having that darn tube. A couple weeks longer in the whole scheme of things isnt a big deal. Always better to be safe than sorry. Most docs wouldnt bother to switch the average short term peg user over to the Mickey button. I remember when Charm went back and forth with his doc about making the changeover. Of course, he finally prevailed and got one. Thats the Charm we all know and love.

I had a simple solution, I just secured it in the elastic band of my shorts. I tried surgical sleeves, tape, even a lanyard with a clip, the shorts or pants waist band was the best for me

Steve

Hi Steve - sounds worth a try. Thanks!

I just wore an size or 2 smaller tee-shirt.

[quote=ChristineB]jneal.... Its smart to hang onto your feeding tube until you can go for 2 months sustaining yourself without using it. Recovery is full of ups and downs with many setbacks coming unexpectedly. I know how lousy it is having that darn tube. A couple weeks longer in the whole scheme of things isnt a big deal. Always better to be safe than sorry. [/quote]

Thanks Christine, I know you're right but I'm impatient to getting back to doing more active things with my kids. I do tape the tube down, but I'm skinny and there's no fat to cushion the site so by 'flopping around' I meant any movement of the tube between the 'exit' point and the taped down end hurts, plus wearing tight clothes just kind of bends it at the site and that hurts; the only position that doesn't hurt is when the tube is perpendicular to the surface. I've had it since September and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I'm telling myself that I'll have them take it out, and if I can't keep up the 3K calories a day or God-forbid something else goes south then I'll have them put a mic-key in.

An idea for women ... I secured my PEG tube by wearing a camisole with a built in bra, then stuck the feeding tube up under the elastic. It was very easy.

Before Kris's PEG was changed to a Mickey, I just used to attach a piece of firm Elastoplast tape to the top of the dangling part and then Kris just used a safety pin to attach it to his T shirt or singlet. Worked very well.
Tammy

You should support the peg tub. Having it pull down cause irritation. I used a rubber band and a binder clip for papers. I just looped the hose on rubber band and to the clip. Then use the clip on my under shirt. The rubber band allows it to stregh and move easily. Works well easy to remove.

[quote=Hockeydad]You should support the peg tub. Having it pull down cause irritation. I used a rubber band and a binder clip for papers. I just looped the hose on rubber band and to the clip. Then use the clip on my under shirt. The rubber band allows it to stregh and move easily. Works well easy to remove. [/quote]

I'll give this a try, thanks. Lots of credibility from a fellow hockey dad...

I bought one of these. will add more once I get it.

http://www.caregiverproducts.com/g-tube-belt.html

I ordered my husband two of these and he didn't like them so if you message me your address I will mail them to you...he ended up using a baby band for pregnant women..it worked amazing!

After using it for a few weeks I didn't like it. The elastic kept slipping down and putting pressure on the peg tube. I've gone back to 2"X2" Avant drain sponges and tape but I use Sureprep and that takes a lot of the sting out of using paper tape all the time. It looks like an alcohol prep but its like a varnish and acts like a buffer between the skin and the tape. The tape sticks well but doesn't tear out my skin.

We found that a wide Ace bandage worked very well...not the rubbery self stick kind but the soft kind meant to wrap a knee, etc. You do need a caregiver to help wrap it around the abdomen but with the little clip toward the back, it stays put all day and the tube can be slipped in and out from under it.

Bill could not tolerate the tape after one week so we tried this and used it till the PEG came out. I bought several so I could launder them. WORKED GREAT!

Thanks! Cheap enough and worth a try. The Sureprep has taken the pain out of using paper tape however. I leave the tape on the peg when I shower to protect it.
See: http://www.medline.com/jump/product/x/Z05-PF46676# (Cheaper to buy it through Amazon) I can relate to what you're saying though, the tape was a major pain in the beginning until I found this stuff (actually the home care nurse ordered a box for me and until I read the label , thought it was an ordinary alcohol prep. ;-)

I just let it all hang out lol. In the beginning I used tape, but found that to be irritating to my skin, so I use nothing, and comfortable with that. I don't use a pad under or over the stoma finding that may harbor bacteria. My CCC used tubular elastic net bandage, which you cut to size, slip over your head to your stomach to hold the tube whatever position, and that was comfortable and didn't feel restrictive to me, so I used that for a while. They come in different sizes.

Thanks for the tip, very good one! Saw this. http://www.exmed.net/p-2003-nu-hope-carefix-fabric-ostomyurology-pouch-support.aspx?Defaul on fishmanpa's post from January on this thread. It arrived today and was an instant hit. It is comfortable and feels much better than the way the nurse at the endoscopy clinic set him up (stuck tape to the tube put safety pin through tape and pinned it to the inside of his t shirt).

Glad to hear something is working out!

I had a bunch of T-shirts with pockets on them. Just took a couple, cut a slit in the t shirt just below the top of the pocket. Pull the tube through that, coil it up and stuff the tube in the pocket. Usually I wear some sort of long sleeve shirt or sweater over that so it's not particularly noticeable. Still have easy access to the tube for feeding, and it's out of the way otherwise.