Obviously not everyone who reads my blog has a disabled child, so I thought I would share something with you all. :) I had to change Peanut's g-tube today. It has a little valve on the inside called an anti-reflux valve. It is supposed to prevent anything from coming out of the tube when you unhook it from the feeding extension. It doesn't last very long, and pretty soon the g-tube leaks every time you open it. My understanding is that Peanut's lasts even less long than normal due to the amount of retching she does. I don't know if that's true or not, but we never make it even 3 months before it's leaking like crazy.
Here's the new button. I fill it with water before inserting it to make sure it doesn't have a leak. Then I take the water out, put it in her stomach, and refill the water balloon.
Here's her stoma after I took out the old g-tube. It doesn't look bad! Some kids have horrible granulation issues around it, but Peanut's has always looked great. KNOCK ON WOOD! :) In the photos there is a darkish ring around the stoma (hole), which I don't see when I look at her in person. I guess it's just toughed skin a bit from having the g-tube twirling on it all the time.
Here's a side-by-side of her new and old g-tube. Ick, huh! The old one looks so nasty when it is taken out. Peanut's looks worse than some kids, because she gets a blenderized diet. She gets a lot of orange and green veggies, so they tend to discolor it more quickly than normal.
The first time I ever changed a g-tube at home on my own, my husband passed out. Needless to say, he doesn't do "ick" well. :) Now we are pros! No fainting, no icked outness, just pull it out and pop a new one in. This little piece of rubber is the only way my Peanut gets nourishment. Isn't it amazing!
7 comments:
Her g-tube site does look great. So does Jax, I'm so thankful for that. We are going to go see the girls on Monday. There is a family interested in one, so that would be so cool if they took her and we could take the other and then we could keep in touch. Right now both babies eat by mouth and have no oxygen. They do need nissens and g-tubes though. Lets just say the state is neglecting them big time. The foster mom has both and is overwelmed, but she has one baby with severe reflux that hasn't been fixed and she lays her flat and she screams. HELLO, its not rocket science. They really need to be rescued!
I agree! G-tubes are quite amazing! What would we do without them?!
Thank you for sharing. The little things help us understand each other so much better.
Love and hugs to you!
Here site does look great, Junior's site has always done well also except when he is on antibiotics.
She has the most beautiful smile. Thank goodness, Ben's site has always looked great too!
As a nurse, this g-tube business (even feeding through them) kind of always icked me out. In fact, I have a built-in aversion to the smell of Pediasure. Now, I can't even remember being grossed out or afraid of feeding or dealing with tubes & buttons. My kids even wish they had one (so do I). Imagine being able to hydrate when you are too lazy to drink. OK, I am lazy.
Now, the green/orange veggies. Where did I get lost, because I thought you had stopped blenderized diet? Are you blending, mostly using baby foods, or a combination?
Her site does look good! Thank God for the g-tube. Addison could not have lived her last 3 years without hers! And even though we're babystepping away from it, I'm glad it'll still be there for a long time so she can get meds and nutrients when sick!
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