Debz,
I was in Houston following Hurricane Katreina when I was due to have my tube out. The ENT I saw there told me she would normally take it out but because it had been put in by a surgeon she was going to send me to a surgeon for the removal. The surgeon pulled and pulled without success. He called the manufacturer of the device - he had pulled a small section out and read the manf info on the tube, just like on the side of a tire! After getting instructions he still could not get it out so he made an appointment for me to see a gastroenterologist. The gastroenterologist gave me a shot, took the tube in his fist, twisted his hand and yanked. Out it popped. much less pain than getting a tooth pulled with novocaine. It was weird get a shot in the belly but it worked. He said that the surgeon just was afraid to pull hard enough.
Don't be afraid. Get the thing out and you'll have more time for other things like eating from real dishes and having coffee in a nice big mug.