To sleep with the G tube

DjFriday

I'm getting the G tube put in on Monday the 15th. I'm concerned about sleeping. I am a stomach sleeper, which I'm sure that probably won't be possible. I can side sleep but then I usually end up on the stomach. Sleeping positions? Is there any tips on being comfortable and getting restful sleep with the g tube? I already don't get a whole lot of sleep now and I really hope it won't be added stress. Perhaps pillows or a certain side to sleep on? Will I be able to sleep in bed or will I have to have the head raised to avoid reflux? I plan on eating orally for as long as possible and only use the tube when I'm not getting the nutrients needed on a daily basis. I would like to know any tips or suggestions for getting a decent nights sleep with a g tube.

Chillg8r

this isn’t a tip but I too was a stomach sleeper and simply because a side sleeper. One does what one has to do. Perhaps a body pillow would help?

DjFriday

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1699171#Comment_1699171

A body pillow would probably be helpful to keep me from rolling to my stomach. Thanks for your idea.

wbcgaruss

Hello, again DJ I just want to emphasize what MG said in another post. Right now you should be gaining weight unless you already have extra. But the fact that you have a G-tube will mostly mitigate that as long as you get enough calories through the tube. But it doesn't hurt to have some extra weight to fall back on because even with the tube you may have periods where you are nauseous and have an upset stomach so food through the mouth or the tube upsets the stomach and you feel ill and don't feel like eating no matter which way it goes in. I had this happen to me in my last situation in the hospital and I ended up in there for an extended stay and even with a feeding tube finally put in I was having nausea problems and the nurses were skipping my feedings when necessary till my stomach straightened out.

OK, as far as a G-tube goes one thing my Nurse Navigator told me was a cheap way to hold it in place is cutting the elastic band off an old pair of underwear and that band will retain the Gtube in place. In my case, it was men's underwear and I believe they have a wider band but women's will probably work. If not get some cheap men's underwear at the dollar store for just this purpose. Cut the elastic band off and use that as your Gtube retainer, really keeps it in place. The one time I had a feeding tube I had lost weight before I got it put in and the elastic waistbands I had were loose but I used a safety pin to bunch the material up a bit and pin it in place, thus tightening the band. Also, there are many products on the internet that are made to retain a feeding tube, but none so minimal and basic as the elastic band off of underwear. If you buy a manufactured band or strap to retain your Gtube I would recommend staying as minimal and basic as possible. I have seen some very large ones and I would think they would make you hot and uncomfortable and create moisture from sweat, my opinion only. Also, I recommend buying or having more than one so you have one while the other is being washed. Below are examples of a basic Gtube retainer I still have and hope to never have a need for again. The white ones are from women's long underwear and you can see the band is not quite as wide but they worked well.

As far as sleeping with a Gtube my recommendation is to sleep in a recliner and plan on doing it during your treatment if you have one. If you don't have one and thought you might like to have one someday, this might be the time to get one. Other than that you may just have to get inventive with pillows as chill said.

Also, I liked a recliner because you will find as you go on with your radiation treatments your saliva will get very thick, even to the point at times of being stringy in consistencey. You will find that laying down tends to have it slide to the back of your throat making you cough at the least and choke you at the worst. With a recliner most of them allow you to be practically laying flat or the opposite, sitting up straight or anywhere in between so you can adjust what you are comfortable with at the moment. Even with a recliner and sitting mostly upright I was awoken several times at least from the phlegm from the effects of the radiation and it had literally cut my air off and I had quite a job coughing and gagging it out to get it cleared so I could breathe again. Many on here have spent the duration of their cancer journey in a recliner. It gives you plenty of adjustment for comfort. And some folks nowadays have the power recliner where a push of a button puts you where you want to be.

Which now I have brought up another part and parcel of this H&N journey is when you are in radiation for a number of weeks your saliva will get very thick even possibly to a stringy consistency. There is no way around this that I know of, most of us have had it in our H&N experience but it varies from person to person like most aspects of this treatment. You have to spit this out and keep it cleared as much as possible and it may be in your throat, just sort of gag, or cough, or whatever you need to do to free it and get it out and keep it cleared. And the other thing you need to do with it is use a salt and baking soda rinse to rinse and clear this out. It clears out the phlegm and refreshes your mouth and helps you feel better. And the more it increases the more you need to rinse. I would say I was rinsing every 20 to 30 minutes, or more or less at times, you will know how often you need it. I will post below the recipes for the rinse mixture.

DJ Here Are Recipes

For the salt/baking soda mixes.

Rinse as often or as little as needed to deal with thick saliva even the stringy stuff.

The trick is to stay ahead of it as best you can.

There are no easy solutions but this will eventually quit.

You may find it beneficial to sleep in a recliner to keep the thick stuff out of your throat and airway.

Laying down directs it to the back of your mouth/throat area.

Even in a recliner I would wake up at times with my air cut off and had to work at getting it cleared out.

Wishing You The Best-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Mouth Rinse Recipes to Use During Chemotherapy

Soda and Salt Mouth Rinse

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup of warm water

Mix well until salt dissolves. Rinse your mouth gently, being careful not to swallow the mixture. Follow this with a plain water rinse to clean out any remaining salt or soda.

Soda Mouth Rinse: A Good Rinse for Before You Eat

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of warm water

Mix well to dissolve the baking soda. This is a good rinse to use before and after a meal because it may soothe any mucositis pain you have, making it easier for you to eat well. Swish and spit, but don't swallow this mixture.

Saltwater Mouth Rinse

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup of warm water

Mix well to dissolve the salt. This saltwater rinse is close to the natural chemistry of your own saliva. This may make mouth sores feel better. Rinse well with plain water to remove excess salt.

Salt and Soda Rinse for Gummy Mouth

Some chemotherapy drugs can increase the acidity in your mouth, leading to thick saliva that can be very annoying. This rinse works well for "gummy mouth."

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking soda

4 cups of warm water

This rinse will help to neutralize the acid in your mouth and will help dissolve or loosen thick, gummy saliva. Don't drink it, just rinse and spit it out.

Peroxide Rinse for Crusted Sores

If your mouth sores are crusting over, it's important to allow the natural healing process in your body to continue, so a peroxide rinse should be used for no more than two days consecutively.

1 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 cup water or

1 cup salt water (1 teaspoon of salt in 4 cups of water)

If you have crusty mouth sores, try using this rinse three or four times a day for two days. Don't use it for more than two days at a time, because it could prevent mucositis from healing.

Use a non-peroxide rinse for two days, before returning to this mixture.

Wishing You the Best

Take Care God Bless-Russ

motorcycleguy

Dj,

The G-Tube is something that sounds pretty terrible .... (and it is for a week or so).

But then, like anything else - one gets used to it, and then you don't notice it much.

Before you get started, treatment is something that seems like it will take forever.

Of course, you will look back on all of it, some day and it won't seem like it was so bad. (But, of course, most things aren't - when you look back on them...)

It's a tough time, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I'm looking forward to you telling stories about "ringing the bell" (or whatever your treatment center does to celebrate completion of treatment)!!

Thanks for sharing with us. I hope we're able to give you some helpful advice and support, here!

MG

wbcgaruss

Also DJ I would just like to share with you a couple of links to videos that our very own CSN connection made by the name of Beagledad AKA Don. He was on here last year as he went through his cancer and his videos may be of help. great guy, makes a great presentation and has some good tips and has survived the Gauntlet of H&N cancer. First a video of his Useful ideas for a H&N patient.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokr9oAoOdQ

And here is a link to his channel with the rest of his videos--

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_hfOHVR5u-CVaI8tvyM2w/videos

Wishing You the Best

Take Care God Bless-Russ

Logan51

Fortunately, I'm a side sleeper. Now FT-dependent over 3 years, I typically sleep on a recliner- ON MY SIDE. Suggest that this may be one way you ensure you sleep on your side or back- not sure if you can sleep on your tummy on a recliner.

MarineE5

Hello DJ,

You have received a lot of helpful information/ good advice. I agree with those that have mentioned the Recliner as your choice for sleeping during treatments as long as you have the Tube. The recliner may take a little to get accustomed to but will be beneficial in two ways. As mentioned, you can adjust the recliner to a position that is comfortable to you, but as a suggestion, try to keep you head and neck above your heart level.

This will help reduce the possibility of acid reflux and also the chance of Lymphedema during the night causing swelling in the morning. There is a gentle massage you can do to help with this if it pops up. Just ask your Team about it if it happens.

Continue to ask questions and also view the tips in the 1st Sticky Super Thread in this Board.

Take Care, My Best to You and Everyone Here