G TUBE LEAKAGE

bettvan16
bettvan16 Member Posts: 14
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I keep a 4 x 4 gauze under my husbands g tube disk and this moring when I got ready to clean the opening and put on a new piece of gauze I noticed it was damp. This noon when I was flushing out his tube with water before giving him formula I noticed some water came out of the stomach opening. Then when I started with the formula a very small amount of it came out. Needless to say, it scared the daylights out of me. Has anyone else had this problem? If it keeps up I will contact the Dr. that put it in. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Betty

Comments

  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #2
    leakage
    Betty,

    The entry point for the tube is a wound, even if we forget that or are never properly advised of such. It is a wound of convenience, if you will, and it needs to be treated as a wound, albeit one we do not want to see heal before its time.

    If you are certain that the 'leakage' is water, then I would be concerned as well. However, if the seepage is what we might expect from a wound, pus, for example, and, over time, the body's natural proclivity to regrow tissue, then I would say that this happens frequently to me as well.

    My wife is an ET (wound care) nurse, so she treats mine and educates me about how to do so. I have used various remedies over the last few years, depending on the condition of the wound at a given point in time. On occasion, for example, my wife will literally cauterize the area surrounding the opening to burn off the new tissue growth. This is a tad bit painful, but one gets used to it.

    Most of the time, however, I use various agents to combat infection. I always clean it with hydrogen peroxide, and at the moment am also changing the dressing three times a day while applying an anti-fungal, anti-infection agent.

    The next time you DO see the doctor, be sure to ask, if you have not been previously advised, about the best ways to manage the wound, and what, if any, agents or alternative dressings you might use to keep the wound safe.

    Hope this helps.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • bettvan16
    bettvan16 Member Posts: 14
    #3
    G TUBE LEAKAGE
    Thanks again Joe. I did call the Dr. yesterday evening ragarding this leakage and feel much better now. The primary care Dr. on Tues. reported his blood sugar was up to 250 (never had a problem before)so she has prescribed Metformin HCL for this. She is pretty certain this is causing his fatigue and weight loss. When I told the GI Dr. about this she said that explains why his stomach is leaking a small amount of the water and formula when I give it to him as because of the sugar problem, the stomach has slowed down with digesting the food. She prescribed a medication for him to help this process. I will pick it up as soon as the drug store opens. We live in "Small Town America" and the town sleeps till 9:00. My dear sweet Mother-in-law always said when we had a health problem, "this too shall pass". Well, bless her soul, I am waiting for this and for Elmer to get well on the road to recovery.

    Thanks for all your input to all of our problems. It always helps to talk to someone who has been there.

    Betty

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