I did not want to hijack the bleeding PEG thread anymore than I already had. I appreciate Christine's concern about weight lifting and wanted to clarify the issue. My understanding is that for the first two weeks after getting a PEG, there should be no lifting more than 15 pounds for adults or 5 pounds for children. However, once the initial stoma heals, then normal activities can and should resume.
I did explicitly check about my weight lifting with the doctors who put in my PEG tube. [So far that has been six different doctors -their division does not offer an appt by doctor and actually I like talking to a different one each time plus they all have a slightly different technique]. Every one of them indicated it was fine. We even joke that I am lifting heavier weights then they are at the gym
It's been over two years now and "heavy" lifting (25 to 150 lbs) hasn't caused any issues with the Peg tube. I know we have several knowledgeable SLPs on the board, maybe they will chime in with their experiences.
I think the confusion comes from the total lack of organized follow up on PEG tubes. There was a great article on this reprinted at NIH Who follows up patients after PEG tube insertion? Plus most people have PEGs for a short time when they probably don't feel up to lifting weights anyway. I certainly did not the month after surgery.
Charm

Charm, I appreciate you following this topic up in a separate post. This is some important info for long term feeding tube users. I never knew I could lift things. I have noticed if I take out the trash and its heavy that many times I get even more granulation. It can be quite painful so I always thought I went over the 'approved' weight restrictions. Im still going to use caution but now Im going to take my kids bowling. Thats something I havent done for 4 years. Thanks Charm for the clarification!!!

Christine

Great- it sounds like fun. But please don't get injured. if you have been avoiding lifting anything heavier than trash, please start lifting little 3 to 5 lb handweights first to build up unused muscles. You can use a waterbottle also - see this video from Brunswick Bowling Fitness Tip - Water Bottle Weightlifting The weight of most "house" bowling balls range from 6 to 16 pounds but you should stick to 10 or 12lbs those first times out until you are comfortable. Here's a link to pre bowling stretches: Some Exercises to Warm Up Before Bowling
Can you guess my little brother is an all star bowler as a hobby with scads of trophies? Me- I like it when they fill the alleys with bumpers so no gutter balls.
I find I get the most granulation when my tube slides in and out easily which happens after about 2 months.
Keep the faith
Charm

Maybe I was told no lifting since I have a J/G tube instead of a PEG tube. I get mine is replaced about every 2 months. I have stitches inside holding the tube in place which is different than what PEG users have.

Congrats to your brother for being a great bowler!!!! I am very bad at it, but its lots of fun so I would love to try it again. I planned on using a kids ball which should be very light.

Charm, how often do you get your feeding tube replaced?

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

I'm going to leave the name out, but this is one AMAZING guy who does not let having a PEG tube for over a dozen years slow him down at all. Travel requires so much more planning with a PEG tube since even a week's worth of Jevity is two cases that weigh 34 to 40 pounds (depending on how I position them on my bathroom scale)So you have to shop for Ensure wherever you go and none of the commercial formulae have any fiber so there are bowel issues. Anyway here is his story:
[quote]I got very excited about the idea of blending powder instead of cans of liquid after reading these posts (and couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of this before). For 14 years I've been carrying cans (3 Jevity, 3 Ensure Plus per day) on domestic and foreign travel and it's always a weight
and space inconvenience if the trip is more than a couple of days (on a one-month business trip to Turkmenistan I had 180 cans in two extra suitcases, with the attendant excess baggage charges and long explanations at security and customs).

But my original excitement has faded after learning that although Ensure is available in powder form, Jevity is not, at least in the USA. The Abbott websites show the powdered form is available in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, but the customer service folks for the USA couldn't explain why it
wasn't available here (they thought it was a good idea and would pass it on-- sure). So maybe I"ll try the powdered Ensure and at least cut my extra weights in half.

On a reassuring note for your African travel, I've never had any unsolvable(i was going to say insoluble, but that would be a bad pun) problem with cans in my checked luggage, although if I'm going somewhere strange I do have a letter from my physician (also translated into whatever language I
think might be useful) to contend with customs at the arriving city, and you can be sure that TSA will have opened your baggage and inspected the contents -- so I always pack a laminated sign that says "Medical Necessity
-- Feeding supplies for Stomach Tube Nutrition"). I have a similar sign that I have in a large Ziplok bag in which I carry two or four cans in my carry-on backpack, and sometimes that delays me a few minutes while they swab the cans for explosives, depending on the TSA people on duty -- but in
the end they have always passed me through. Same holds true for foreign security inspections, although sometimes it takes a bit longer while they try to figure out what the cans are for.

Isn't tube feeding fun! Good luck on your travels. [/quote]

He's a GREAT guy who has answered my emails and contributes to g tube list serves and BD forums and a real inspiration on how to not let a feeding tube hold you back.
Charm

Charm, you're a badass!

I love the example you are setting for others, inspiration baby!


Love ya brotha

Eric