PEG questions

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tuffenuff
tuffenuff Member Posts: 277
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I checked the super thread but didn't see exactly what I'm looking for. First of all, I feel wayyyyy better today after using this for just 2 days. I'm on jevity 1.2.

1. Do you guys actually check for residual? Because that will gross me out.
2. Will the little bit of "back flow" that gets in my tube become rancid and make me ill if I just push it through with my next water or feeding? I'm flushing after each feeding but if I'm engaging my abdominal muscles a lot then a bit does come back. Nurse said no issue but I am still curious.
3. Is it weird that I can feel it at the base of my throat when I start to become full? It's like a cool wet sensation but I know, in reality, there is no way it's the actual food going up that high. It happened since the very first time so I thought it might just be a sensation from nerves or something.

Cindy :o)

Comments

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #2
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    stick it in the tube
    Hi tuffenuff,

    I’ve looked under your hood and everything looks fine. Residuals? Is that the gunk left on the sides of the tube, no biggy it all gets rinsed away with each flush. Backflow, all the time, the liquid will seek the path of lest resistance, which happens to be up the tube. It all depends on how laid back you are when the feeding starts. I use to lay too far back in my recliner and whoosh out squirts some residuals or something. So you are using your muscles to make the fluid go up and down, be careful you’ll learn all the (PEG tube) tricks in the first week. Yes you can feel it in your throat, but at the same time the tube should start to back up.

    You are not throwing any curve balls, so I think you are fine. I had two PEG tubes (one very bad and one very good) so I have been around the block. Enjoy the Jevity, I went through cases of that stuff.

    Best,

    Matt
  • Laralyn
    Laralyn Member Posts: 532
    #3
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    A few answers, hopefully!
    Hey Cindy!

    I only checked for residuals after a nurse showed me how, and because I had a bout of gastroparesis (stomach doesn't empty correctly) from the narcotics. Now that I have learned the timing of my stomach and how to tell if I'm genuinely hungry, I don't do it anymore.

    The "back flow" never sticks around for long, and I suspect it is already mixed with gastric elements. I haven't heard of anyone having an issue with it, even the folks who made their own tube foods.

    I can feel it at the back of my throat too and during a barium stomach test (how I was diagnosed with gastroparesis), I saw that it actually DID start back up the pipe. My stomach didn't even have to be very full for that to start to happen. They told me to just swallow and my body would take care of it.

    Hope this helps!
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #4
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    Laralyn said:

    A few answers, hopefully!
    Hey Cindy!

    I only checked for residuals after a nurse showed me how, and because I had a bout of gastroparesis (stomach doesn't empty correctly) from the narcotics. Now that I have learned the timing of my stomach and how to tell if I'm genuinely hungry, I don't do it anymore.

    The "back flow" never sticks around for long, and I suspect it is already mixed with gastric elements. I haven't heard of anyone having an issue with it, even the folks who made their own tube foods.

    I can feel it at the back of my throat too and during a barium stomach test (how I was diagnosed with gastroparesis), I saw that it actually DID start back up the pipe. My stomach didn't even have to be very full for that to start to happen. They told me to just swallow and my body would take care of it.

    Hope this helps!

    try ginger ale in tube
    Cindy
    one thing someone on here told me about was to flush some ginger ale or 7-up down the feeding tube. It helped to keep the tube clear and the carbonation got some of the gunk off the sides of the tube. I think we did that maybe every 3 days or so, and I never had any problems and I think the ginger ale actually helped settle my stomach.

    I'm glad the tube is making you feel better !
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    #5
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    wait there is more
    Tuffenuff,

    If you are blending up meatballs (or something like that) like ratface the cola is probably necessary. I quizzed some nurses and doctors about the cola rinse and about a half heard of it and said why not and the others didn’t know about it. You see out here in Oregon we have this very fresh and cleansing water.

    Best,

    Matt
  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    #6
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    Well I don't check anymore.
    Well I don't check anymore. I've learned to skip enough time between feedings that I know there won't be any residual or enough that would back up anyway. At the beginning of my tube feedings I had some issues. Each time we would put food in the tube I would instantly throw up all of it. Ended up in the hospital. Left there 3 dys later with a continuous feed pump. Kind of like an IV drip but it's food and it goes into your belly. It takes forever to eat that way so now we are slowly slowly slowly putting food directly into the tube.
    My nutritionist also told me about the soda in the tube and ginger ale will help settle the tummy. Also, if you are trying to put weight back on or at least maintain, you may want to use gatorade instead of water for hydration. Either in the tube or by mouth due to the fact that at least it has calories.
    Hope that wasn't too confusing.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #7
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    Billie67 said:

    Well I don't check anymore.
    Well I don't check anymore. I've learned to skip enough time between feedings that I know there won't be any residual or enough that would back up anyway. At the beginning of my tube feedings I had some issues. Each time we would put food in the tube I would instantly throw up all of it. Ended up in the hospital. Left there 3 dys later with a continuous feed pump. Kind of like an IV drip but it's food and it goes into your belly. It takes forever to eat that way so now we are slowly slowly slowly putting food directly into the tube.
    My nutritionist also told me about the soda in the tube and ginger ale will help settle the tummy. Also, if you are trying to put weight back on or at least maintain, you may want to use gatorade instead of water for hydration. Either in the tube or by mouth due to the fact that at least it has calories.
    Hope that wasn't too confusing.

    Used to get it all the time, even with the flushings. Used the 1.5, I think it was. Could always see what was gonna go into my stomach first the next feeding. Air tight, so the rancid factor never came into play for me. And yes, I poured all mine into the big syringe vial and let gravity take it down into my stomach. Used to take around 10 minutes, or thereabouts.

    kcass
  • tuffenuff
    tuffenuff Member Posts: 277
    #8
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    So I have a very small
    So I have a very small amount of oozy goodness, aka seepage, coming from my site. Nothing to be alarmed about I guess. Except it looks an awful lot like the Jevity. Is that ok?
  • CajunEagle
    CajunEagle Member Posts: 408
    #9
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    Ingrid K said:

    try ginger ale in tube
    Cindy
    one thing someone on here told me about was to flush some ginger ale or 7-up down the feeding tube. It helped to keep the tube clear and the carbonation got some of the gunk off the sides of the tube. I think we did that maybe every 3 days or so, and I never had any problems and I think the ginger ale actually helped settle my stomach.

    I'm glad the tube is making you feel better !

    Ginger Ale trick...
    never really worked for me, and after 10 months of Peg Tube usage, it really started looking pretty grungy. What I did use to clean it out was wooden shish-ka-bob skewers that were the perfect size for cleaning out the inside of the tube. Just be sure and crimp the tube before trying this out.

    Larry
  • George_Baltimore
    George_Baltimore Member Posts: 303
    #10
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    tuffenuff said:

    So I have a very small
    So I have a very small amount of oozy goodness, aka seepage, coming from my site. Nothing to be alarmed about I guess. Except it looks an awful lot like the Jevity. Is that ok?

    STOP WORRYING
    You're worrying about nothing. You don't say whether you are doing it the bolus way by pouring it in an open syringe or whether you are doing a gravity feed with a bag. I used to do it by the bolus but have switched to gravity feed. I use Isosource, which I found if I put in too fast, does not taste very good coming back up through my esophageal stricture. I usually take an hour or two to do a feed. As far as feeling a wetness in my throat, I get that if it starts going in too fast (my steady drip becomes a continuous stream going into the tube). I almost always have a little residual. I've never gotten sick from it. If you are talking about an ooze coming directly from the stoma underneath that flange, that is natural. When I am in the shower, I carefully bend the flange forward and wash around the tube. Just relax and stop thinking something is wrong! Take care.
  • tuffenuff
    tuffenuff Member Posts: 277
    #11
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    George_Baltimore said:

    STOP WORRYING
    You're worrying about nothing. You don't say whether you are doing it the bolus way by pouring it in an open syringe or whether you are doing a gravity feed with a bag. I used to do it by the bolus but have switched to gravity feed. I use Isosource, which I found if I put in too fast, does not taste very good coming back up through my esophageal stricture. I usually take an hour or two to do a feed. As far as feeling a wetness in my throat, I get that if it starts going in too fast (my steady drip becomes a continuous stream going into the tube). I almost always have a little residual. I've never gotten sick from it. If you are talking about an ooze coming directly from the stoma underneath that flange, that is natural. When I am in the shower, I carefully bend the flange forward and wash around the tube. Just relax and stop thinking something is wrong! Take care.

    Will do!

    Will do!
  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member
    #12
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    tuffenuff said:

    Will do!

    Will do!

    Jim has the feeding pump, it
    Jim has the feeding pump, it is slow so we have always fed at night while he sleeps. They gave us a back pack so if he needed to feed while out he could but we only used it one time because we started the feeding late. Jim really didn't want to mess with it so we did the night time which has always worked fine. Now that he is eatting we use enough cans to make up calorie shortage since he cannot eat enough during the day.



    debbie
  • Greend
    Greend Member Posts: 678
    #13
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    Long time tube owner
    Don't worry about the "junk" as long as you flush after eating. Over the past two 1/2 years I have only had resistance one time after not flushing and that wasn't really much. I tried sodas and they did nothing to help, neither did beer. If it gets really gross to you then you can go to a Craft Store and but a 12 in pipe cleaner to break most of it loose. I did that once and it worked but really wasn't worth the time and effort. I have had food get stuck right at the opening and I try to either flush it through the side flushing port or gently push it through with a tooth pick.

    I worry about anything with a sharp point because I really don't want to poke a hole in the side (if you do duct tape will stop the leak long enough for you to get another tube installed).

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