Despite a few years in the military system, I am not exactly the most fastidious guy on the planet -- I've managed to spill various brands of the canned 'foods' on my armchair, carpet, clothes, etc., and find it very hard to clean up.

As I write this, I have a load of clothes in the washer from a mess today -- Seems the plug on my PEG is having trouble staying in place today, and this PEG happens to point down, so I'm a bit untidy. My previous PEG during the radiation was pointed up and I had a neck look that I fastened to it, so the business end was up pretty high and way above the inner level of my stomach -- My current PEG, pointing down, is lower than the inside level, so it tends to be a tad more prone to leakage.

I emailed Nestle regarding cleanup but they just referred me to the chair/carpet makers for advice (Leads me to surmise that some strong stuf may be required and they don't want to get involved in replacing my chair after I destroyed it with a propane torch or my downstairs neighbors' ceiling when the sulfuric acid ate through the carpet, concrete, etc.).

I emailed Abbott Labs (makers of Osmolite and the Safeway version of Ensure, and Ensure itself) and here's what they had to say:

"Hello Pete,

Thank you for contacting Abbott Nutrition.

It is important to treat stains promptly with the correct methods. With the wrong treatment, some stains become more difficult or even impossible to remove. Other stains are relatively easy to remove if they are treated promptly, but become permanently set if allowed to age.

Adult nutritional product stains are likely due to the protein and fat content in the product. We suggest using an enzyme containing laundry detergent such as ERA�. As always, it is best to follow the clothing and detergent anufacturer�s washing instructions.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Gisele
Consumer Relations
Abbott Nutrition"

How about you guys -- What have you found that works, esp for the old stains? Sadly, the spill on the arm of my armchair is old and has hardened into something like medium grit sandpaper, quite a distraction when trying to relax with a 'shoot 'em up' DVD. The tag on the chair sez "Cleaning by a professional furniture cleaning service only is recommended", which does not augur well for the future of my wallet.

BTW, if in the rush of things prior to getting a PEG you can remember, ask the PEG-placing Doc to please use a larger diameter tube if he/she possibly can -- Much easier to keep clean and far less likely to clog, plus gravity feeding is possible, using the little roller-clamp to cut back the flow.

Part of my difficulties today were with my too-small tube and my crushed medicines blocking it -- I actually had to remove the PEG (NOT recommended!!) and push a soft wire down it to remove the blockage -- Push-pull with the syringe just didn't do it this time -- BTW, my PEG is 17" from stem to stern and is only a #12; my previous PEG was much larger, almost the size of a pencil.

Hi Pete,
I can just see you roto-rooting with the wire! This is good advice regarding the PEG it does not make any sense the get a smaller one. I managed to get mine (pencil size) clogged several time with vegetable pieces. Using a 50 ml syringe and water had 2 different effects. A) It cleared the obstruction and you got a very sudden bolus of water directly into the stomach or B) a very wet face....

Since your peg was leaking after the feeding you probably also have acid on your chair. What my help is mineral water/detergend and wet paper towels (several rounds) followed by dry paper towels to wick away the liquid. After the stuff is dry you can probably use a stiff brush.

Best
M

Pete:

I dont have advice on how to clean the formula. My advice is to talk to your doc or better yet one of your nurses. They can replace the tip part of the peg tube very easily. I just had mine replaced with one that will stay closed better. It seems when you close the tab, it kinda locks in place. Mine points down too and I havent had any problems with the new one. The old one leaked sometimes so I was constantly changing my clothes and doing laundry too.

I have an appointment with my splendid nurse practitioner tomorrow (she worked at MD Anderson before moving to Univ Washington) and will ask her about it. Besides the cap popping open once (I had some constipation, so the system was more closed than usual and pressurized), there is a leak sometimes where the top hardware on the PEG is finally connected to the tube itself -- Some times I can fix it by turning the tube 90* to the hardware, and sometimes not.

Pete,

I'd look for stain removers that say they get out grease since the manufacturer says the staining is due to protein and fat content. If you have stains that are crusty, get a stiff nail brush or a wire brush and brush hard at them until the crusty stuff turns to dust then vacuum (do NOT get the spots wet first). Once you have gotten up what you can this way, then it would be the time to use a stain remover. If you find one that works well, let me know. I have had a PEG for three years and there is one spot on the carpet by the chair where I usually feed myself that's got a stain from PEG spills (fortunately, it's in a corner and not too visible). I have to admit I haven't tried any special stain removal stuff on it yet.

Nelie

Has anybody tried one of those steamers? It has claims to remove stains built up and left on. I had one and it removed some really stubborn stains just with the steam. Worked well till one one the kids broke the hose.

Dianne

I have a little carpet steamer that did help remove some pet stains on a carpet that I hadn't been able to get completely out before then (before she died my sweet ancient dog became not very good about going outside). I really should try it on the Jevity stains too --it's put away in the back of the closet and I forget about it!