hello! had my peg put in yesterday so we are set if it is needed during radiation.

came home today and now tonight i have a question
when i went in to clean the area i noticed that i see liquid in the tube like it is backing up into it. this looks like the carnation instant breakfast stuff i drink - same color and look ... it only comes a little ways up the tube but i do not use the tube at all for feeding yet they just said to flush it and clean the area twice a day until i need to actually use it

so i am wondering if this is normal to see this in the tube. i am assuming yes it is, makes sense i think BUT wanted to check with the pros cuz this is new to me.


OH AND ALSO WONDERING ... if it is okay to open it and flush it with water when the backup is showing .,,



thanks in advance!

and dangit that thing is oUCHIE! i was not scared in the least havin it put in ... was relieved to be getting it actually but woke up to an ouchie and it is still ouchie - nurse said cuz they cut the tissue and muscle and i said yep i can sure tell ya did LOL ... big ouchie for such a lil hole oh well they said it passes in a few days so i can handle it for the benefits it will give later.

Anyways ... if you can let me know on the backup thing I would be grateful

Rita

Perfectly normal

and tes you can flush it as much as you wish, but you will always have some "backup" in there

Play jokes on your friends and family, drink some V8

Kevin

you are devious and cruel, Kevin - I love it LOL

Does sound like something I would pull with my family, actually, as I love to tease em (makes em lighten up about this stuff)... Will keep that idea in my mind for the right moment - thanks!

and thanks for the info - thought that would be the answer but figure when not sure, ask! esp when it has to do with your health / body.

Have an awesome day!

Yep totally normal! I usually wake up with orange stuff in my tube...not sure what that is all about, but it's always there. And yeah, that stupid little hole hurt like CRAZY!

Rita,

Either you are tough or well...tough, cause that procedure is a little more than an ouchie! Bill is a tough guy but he was pretty sore for about 5 days. Then it got way better.

We were so worried about that "stuff" in the tube" cause there was a major delay after his surgery in getting home health here to instruct us on how to take care of it, etc. At one point before we had instruction and supplies, I simply had Bill open the tube and dump some of the fluid to make sure it wasn't blocked. ICK!

We had really good luck with using a 4 or 5 inch ace bandage with velcro closure to hold the tube...just wrap around your belly and close making sure the velcro is not sticking out on either top or bottom. That tape they gave us and all others really made Bill's skin raw. The big ACE was soft and stretchy and washable. Plus, you can just untuck the tube, feed and then tuck back in...like breastfeeding .

Good luck with your treatment and recovery...we are all here routing for you.

Deb

Perfectly normal, it is the fluid in your stomach (digestive juices and stuff)

If you are scientifically inclined you can measure the pH in your stomach. ...

To gross out my family I threatened that I might start to digest things ex vivo.


M

LOL, Markus

Ya know my brother had to have his colon removed that was to the point of cancer and he went thru several surgeries before all is said and done, including my sending him to cleveland clinic to save his life when surgeons here made bad booboos which had him a walking deadman ...

ANYWAYS thru all of that I went to jpouch.org for info and help (a board like this one) and met some awesome helpful people there ... and I thought that THEY were gross in the way they teased others because the poopy stuff was what they deal with daily ... and i have a weak stomach etc so hey it got to me LOL ... but now I find you all like to tease in the same gross ways just using different methods LOL ... yer bad! bad I say LOL ... Funny how the nightmares of life can bring out a sense of humor just in different ways

but hey if we all keep smiling and laughin then we haven't been robbed of what counts!

(all i have been robbed of thus far is STEAK! man what I would do for a steak bout now LOL)




Oh hey ... SIDENOTE:

just a reminder on something ... the other day prior to the peg surgery i had an appt with the prosthesis guy to fix my prosthesis cuz it was a bit ouchie and needed modified ...

When I went I took a thankyou card to him and his assistant, with a hand written note of gratitude in it for their kindness and care which made this road easier to travel ...

When I gave it to them they both commented on how i did not know how much that meant and that it was rare for them to get and how it was food to their soul etc ... i could tell they meant what they said and my tiny act had blessed them tremendously ...

so this is not being said to pat me on the back, i say this to remind us all that we get caught up in our treatment which is hard to go thru but can you imagine being the caregivers at the hospitals etc where they deal with doom and gloom all day - it must be so hard yet they put on a smile and treat us with dignity and great care ...

so i am just saying this to show how much a 25 cent card meant to them and brought a true smile to their face so we should all try these simple acts of kindness with our caregivers if and when we can ... it means a lot to them, just like a get well card means a lot to us.


and back to original post - thanks for another laugh, Markus!
Thanks so much for the well wishes, Deb and I wish them for all of you as I read on here each day - my prayers are continual for the group here. and yes, Steph that little hole packs a whallop ! LOL ... Cannot believe I was so naive about what to expect but maybe that was a good thing because i was not nervous in the least goin in, in fact i commented I wish my blood pressure was always that LOW lol .. (I have high b/p and it was lower pre surgery than it normally is with meds LOL) ... so i guess being naive was cool for once helped me get better rest hehe.

Ya'll have an AWESOME day! It is gorgeous here in WA so I am going to sit outside for a bit to get my 15 minutes of vitamin D they are now advising for everyone. I am sending u p prayers for those in the s / e of here dealing with the hurricane - I-Yi-Yi! Not a nice scene and I hope everyone evacs as they should so we don't have a severe outcome. my prayer is the forces that be calm things down prior to hitting shore to minimize devastation a bit to property as well as people.

Anyways I really am shuttin up now take care ! and thanks again for your help

Rita, it's not a bad idea to flush the tube out occasionally so nothing builds up and blocks the tube. Likewise, when you do tube feeds, be sure to flush with water afterwards. My current skinny PEG blocks up easily.

Best way I could describe the feeling of the peg for the first week or so was it felt like a horse had kicked me in the stomach. Thereafter, it no doubt kept my weight loss to 23 lbs. versus much higher numbers you'll see without. Plus, you will find it convenient for medications. Good luck to you over the next several weeks!

"and yes, Steph that little hole packs a whallop ! LOL ... "

That's in large part because it's not one hole, it's TWO! One in abdomen and one in stomach and of course they are shifting with relation to each other for a while.