Do you have a little clampy thing attached to the PEG near your stomach that you are too open when you open it up to feed your self? Is that tight next to your stomach? Or is there a finger width between that and your stomach? Or is the clampy thing causing a dent into your stomach?

Do you have someone who can help you out with getting attention to this matter. The squeeky wheel gets the grease. Squeek until they hear.

That is terrible...did you hear anything yet?

Angelia...

An X-ray will not be able to show a problem with the peg tube. I had an issue with mine and had an X-ray done. My peg tube somehow got dislodged and was embedded in the wall of my abdomen. This was discovered by doing a CT scan. It was excruciating pain when they would give meds or try to flush it. The next step was to replace it which solved the problem, no more pain.

You have had yours a very short time for it to be a problem like that. I feel bad that it still hurts. Give it time to heal, it should ease up very soon. As to the leakage when you open it. You must fold it so you seal off what is in your stomach. If you dont fold it or pinch it then you will have a mess. With practice you will get the hang of it. Hope you feel better tomorrow.

That is almost criminal that they (no one) would return a phone call to such an appeal especially going into a weekend.

Well the Dr. finally returned my call last night and apologized for not calling back sooner. He said he put his phone down in his office and never went back to his office. I do not have problem with that. I have a problem with the fact that his nurse never even called me back. I do not have any pain when trying to flush it. I just have pain when trying to get, sit down, lay down, or anytime we have to use those darn stomach muscles. Anyway the Dr. told me to call him back over the weekend if it gets worse or I start running a fever. He also said that when I come back to town on Tuesday for my trial run with radiation he will come over and check it out and make sure nothing is wrong. Will also work with me on how to properly care for the darn thing, since the dietitian will not give me the time of day.

I can't believe that they are not doing better than that. Can you get another dietitian? They should be helping you every step of the way. How are you supposed to know anything about the darn thing? I think they should have seen you yesterday too. Ugg...what a pain. Keep us posted Angelina...I really hope it just needs to heal.

Angelia,

Don't want to beat a dead horse but most insurance companies cover Home Health and Durable Medical Equipment. In our case (Aetna), with a doctor's orders, we had a nurse come to the house and show us how to use and care for the PEG and......we had a company that supplies medical stuff deliver the canned supplement and the little slit gauze pads that you put under your button as well as tape, etc. When we needed more, I simply called them. We never paid a copay for this and they did all the work of contacting Aetan and getting the approvals.

I know you hate your PEG and, who wouldn't with the pain that you have. It should get better and later on..you may find that it is a real life saver. I think that once you get going on your treatments, you will be, in a sense, happier. This beginning stuff sucks big time but once you feel like you are doing something to "kill the beast," it will be better.

Hang in there,

Deb

Thanks to all. They have handed me off to another company, which I have not heard from yet. My Gastro dr. is going to show me what I need to do. Especially sense the dietician told me something different then my Dr. did. I think I will listen to the Dr. as he is the one who put it in. UGH

My mother was scheduled for a PEG insertion, however her doctor came out and advised that he was unable to puncture her fat wall, and that he had a surgeon working nearby that would finish the procedure. Now, we were told that it was going to be a small incision for the tube to be placed, about 1 inch. After she agreed to allow this surgeon (that her doctor had never met before) to finish what he started, and it was made very clear that it was the same procedure that this doctor was attempting, she now has about a 4 inch opening in her stomach and was kept overnight. Does this sound right to anybody?

So sorry this is not going smoothly for you.
You should be getting better service than you are.
Margaret