Christine

I didn't think about the stitches: but a quick call to your doctor will clear up if bowling would bother them. My G tube has no stitches, it's just a tube (no valves) with an inflatable balloon at the bottom which holds it inside. That balloon either bursts or leaks like clockwork every 5 months. My doctors say that's about par for the course with the very few long term patients they have averaging 4 to 6 months for the tube.
I plan to switch over to a button next time even though the button only lasts 3 months (the anti-reflux valve wears out or breaks) since they finally agreed to tutor me in putting it in myself. All the posters on the Blenderized Diet boards use the buttons but most are parents so it's easier to change someone's then your own. I do not think there are buttons for J tubes due to anatomical issues.
The few OCF members who have switched to buttons have answered my private emails to respond that they really like them - no "cat tail" swinging around or needing to be taped up like ours.
My medical supplier says they can order the buttons for me, or even the tubes once the doctors are comfortable I can handle putting the tube in myself and write a specific prescription for me to order them thru the supplier.
It will save me a lot of money since my co pay runs about $200 for each tube (separate hospital, surgeon, operating room and tube charges so each has a copay instead of one bill)
The total charge submitted to insurance is outrageous -almost two thousand dollars - supposedly because I need "surgery" as they can't use an endoscope (which is why it's not a pEg).
I'm going to post another PEG users' story here
Charm