Top 5 G-Tube Tips and Tricks
/It’s no secret that we have had our fair share of g-tube related issues. From it being yanked out by a ferocious toddler to simply being unable to get it back in when changing it to 2 ER trips at the most inconvenient times, we have seen it all.
The g-tube is a blessing and a curse. On the positive side Jack can eat while he sleeps and with little effort from us. I remember when Rory was tiny having to bottle feed him with his thickened milk. It was a chore and could take hours. However, as with anything else it has a slew of reasons it’s not so pleasant:
Jack gets a predetermined amount of food every time. So he never has to know what hungry or full feels like. And if he does get full it doesn’t stop which can lead to dumping from one end of him or the other. Sometimes both...at the same time.
It’s difficult to travel. You can’t just stop at a gas station and grab him a snack. If you are going somewhere during a feeding time you have to bring all the supplies; the pump, tubing, food and the bag.
And of course it can be yanked or pop out at anytime. Which for us means a trip to the ER or the struggle of getting it back in at home which all but once has still resulted in a trip to the ER.
So if your baby or toddler is going to need a g-tube here are my top 5 hacks:
Keep the area clean. This is super simple, all you need are some q-tips, unscented soap and sterile water. Here are the supplies we buy regularly from Amazon: Soap and Q-Tips.
If you do see redness or irritation treat it right away. Just swab a bit of Mometasone Furoate Ointment on with a q-tip and it will look 10x better overnight.
Go to the ER. I know how inconvenient and costly this is but I can promise you it’s better than surgery. It the G-tube comes out and you can’t get it back in get the tubing I mentioned in number 5 in and secure it to their bodies and make the journey to the hospital
Do your changes at the doctor. If you have a scheduled change take your new g-tube with you to your next appointment and do it there. You will have back up, direction and expert help.
Have your doctor get you some tubing that is the same size as the g-tube and one size down. This has been a life saver to keep his stoma open and dilate it back if it tries to close on us.
As with anything else this will be a journey but eventually you will get the hang of it! As always, there ain’t nothing to it but to do it.