feeding tube

ifalk
ifalk Member Posts: 29
in Esophageal Cancer #1
hi again everyone. Today Jarrell is in being hydrated. He weighed in at 118 pounds and we were told if he isnt eating by thursday they will admit him and place a feeding tube in. He hates this idea was just wondering about the procedure and the complications. they are not sure yet what type they would have to give him.

thanks Ida

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #2
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • ifalk
    ifalk Member Posts: 29
    #3
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Thanks William this helps
    Thanks William this helps alot. The doc said today they would admit him and let the surgeons decide what tube. Now after hearing from you I will be prepared come thursday. My head just spins when we have doctor appointments so I am passing this along to my daughter who pushes the doctors hard when it comes to her dad. She is the one with all the info my mind shuts down I just can't help it no matter how hard I try things just go over my head. So thanks again Ida
  • dwhite0002
    dwhite0002 Member Posts: 126
    #4
    The j-tube is not as bad as
    The j-tube is not as bad as it sounds. I reccommend it. If you check out my other post, you will see that i am a survivor and have kept one due to weight issues. You get used to them. Godspeed,

    David
    hillsboro, OH
  • dwhite0002
    dwhite0002 Member Posts: 126
    #5
    The j-tube is not as bad as
    The j-tube is not as bad as it sounds. I reccommend it. If you check out my other post, you will see that i am a survivor and have kept one due to weight issues. You get used to them. Godspeed,

    David
    hillsboro, OH
  • sangora
    sangora Member Posts: 213
    #6
    dwhite0002 said:

    The j-tube is not as bad as
    The j-tube is not as bad as it sounds. I reccommend it. If you check out my other post, you will see that i am a survivor and have kept one due to weight issues. You get used to them. Godspeed,

    David
    hillsboro, OH

    G Tube
    Ida, I have a G tube and have had it for 22 months. Never had one minutes trouble with it. Its easy to care for, they put it in in the afternoon and I started using it that same evening. One reason it has been easy for me is that I am not prone to neausea with my chemo which I have been taking for 17 of the 22 months. I had one break in the fall of 2010 for ten weeks. Am about to get another break after the January 31 treatment. Had one today. I do have three different neausea meds but haven't used them in months. They give me IV meds before my treament and that seems to take care of it. Back to the G tube, they don't seem to get clogged as easily as can the J-tube. Mine needs to be replaced as it is getting old and I can't eat at all so it gets used alot. Most folks on here are big proponents of the J tube but in all honesty I am not so much. My background is in health care and I have had to fight the J-tube with patients for years. I guess I am biased in the other direction. There really isn't a right or wrong decision, it's a matter of what works best in your husbands situation. Sam Stage IV
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #7
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #8
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #9
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • nickgunboat
    nickgunboat Member Posts: 35
    #10
    Hi Ida
    Here's my experience with the j-tube. Mine was put in after my en bloc esophagectomy and remained in place for about three months. During that time I was given Ensure's during the night and at times during the day. At no point did I ever feel hungry. I watched a lot of Food Network for some odd reason. Anyway, I would also take my meds through it, my wife would grind em up and send it in mixed with water. Occasionally clean it out with some diet coke. And yes, believe it or not, my doc said I could have the occasional drink through it. So Fridays I would get a shot or two of rum through the j tube while I smelled the bottle! You learn to adjust. Mine was in so long due to some leaking issues at my anastimosis site. This I understand is kinda rare. Anyway, at some point I decided I was done with it and my wonderful wife took it out. (Doc told her it would be OK). She just started pulling, and pulling, it was a much longer tube than we suspected, and it was a done deal. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Jarrell!

    Kirk

    T3N2M0
    DX 03/09
    6 wks Chemo and Radiation
    En Bloc Esophagectomy 07.09
    Dr Tom DeMeester/ USC
    NED
  • JReed
    JReed Member Posts: 428
    #11
    nickgunboat said:

    Hi Ida
    Here's my experience with the j-tube. Mine was put in after my en bloc esophagectomy and remained in place for about three months. During that time I was given Ensure's during the night and at times during the day. At no point did I ever feel hungry. I watched a lot of Food Network for some odd reason. Anyway, I would also take my meds through it, my wife would grind em up and send it in mixed with water. Occasionally clean it out with some diet coke. And yes, believe it or not, my doc said I could have the occasional drink through it. So Fridays I would get a shot or two of rum through the j tube while I smelled the bottle! You learn to adjust. Mine was in so long due to some leaking issues at my anastimosis site. This I understand is kinda rare. Anyway, at some point I decided I was done with it and my wonderful wife took it out. (Doc told her it would be OK). She just started pulling, and pulling, it was a much longer tube than we suspected, and it was a done deal. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Jarrell!

    Kirk

    T3N2M0
    DX 03/09
    6 wks Chemo and Radiation
    En Bloc Esophagectomy 07.09
    Dr Tom DeMeester/ USC
    NED

    En Bloc Esophagectomy
    Hi Kirk:

    Been reading your posts on this site and learning more than I ever knew I needed to know.

    What is an En Bloc Esophagectomy? I haven't heard of that before.

    Thank you and it is so nice that you continue to post here for us newbies.

    Judy & Don
  • FunGuy
    FunGuy Member Posts: 20
    #12
    Hi Ida,
    I had a J-Tube for
    Hi Ida,

    I had a J-Tube for about two months and it wasn't a big deal. I had a partial Esophagectomy. My wife would pump Ensure every few hours during the day and then I was hooked up to a machine when it dripped during the night. Obviously, you can't sleep on your side but again, it's no big deal. My wife also pumped my meds directly into my J-Tube at night -- Xanax worked quick!!!
  • bingbing2009
    bingbing2009 Member Posts: 177
    #13
    JReed said:

    En Bloc Esophagectomy
    Hi Kirk:

    Been reading your posts on this site and learning more than I ever knew I needed to know.

    What is an En Bloc Esophagectomy? I haven't heard of that before.

    Thank you and it is so nice that you continue to post here for us newbies.

    Judy & Don

    Judy, here's what we found:
    Judy, here's what we found about en bloc. We especially like the question after the description.

    What is an En Bloc Esophagectomy?

    An En Bloc Esophagectomy is done in patients who are being treated for cancer of the esophagus. It is a radical operation that takes out the esophagus, a portion of the stomach and all of the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. The surgery is done through the neck, chest and abdomen. An incision is made on the right chest and the esophagus is mobilized. All of the lymph nodes are taken out of the chest. An incision is then made on abdominal wall and small incision is placed in the left neck. The stomach and esophagus are mobilized and all of the lymph nodes are removed from the abdomen. The stomach is cut into the shape of a tube using surgical staples. The esophagus and cut portion of the stomach are pulled out through the neck incision and removed. The newly shaped stomach is brought up through the chest and sewn to the small piece of the esophagus that is left behind in the neck. The stomach will now function as the esophagus used to.

    Will I need to have anesthesia?
    Yes.

    We couldn't resist including the question--too funny in a kinky sort of way!

    Melinda and Vaughn
  • JReed
    JReed Member Posts: 428
    #14
    bingbing2009 said:

    Judy, here's what we found:
    Judy, here's what we found about en bloc. We especially like the question after the description.

    What is an En Bloc Esophagectomy?

    An En Bloc Esophagectomy is done in patients who are being treated for cancer of the esophagus. It is a radical operation that takes out the esophagus, a portion of the stomach and all of the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. The surgery is done through the neck, chest and abdomen. An incision is made on the right chest and the esophagus is mobilized. All of the lymph nodes are taken out of the chest. An incision is then made on abdominal wall and small incision is placed in the left neck. The stomach and esophagus are mobilized and all of the lymph nodes are removed from the abdomen. The stomach is cut into the shape of a tube using surgical staples. The esophagus and cut portion of the stomach are pulled out through the neck incision and removed. The newly shaped stomach is brought up through the chest and sewn to the small piece of the esophagus that is left behind in the neck. The stomach will now function as the esophagus used to.

    Will I need to have anesthesia?
    Yes.

    We couldn't resist including the question--too funny in a kinky sort of way!

    Melinda and Vaughn

    Thanks for the explanation
    Now I need to research the difference between this En Bloc and the THE - they sound very similar to me?

    Thank you,
    Judy
  • Freida
    Freida Member Posts: 182
    #15
    bingbing2009 said:

    Judy, here's what we found:
    Judy, here's what we found about en bloc. We especially like the question after the description.

    What is an En Bloc Esophagectomy?

    An En Bloc Esophagectomy is done in patients who are being treated for cancer of the esophagus. It is a radical operation that takes out the esophagus, a portion of the stomach and all of the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. The surgery is done through the neck, chest and abdomen. An incision is made on the right chest and the esophagus is mobilized. All of the lymph nodes are taken out of the chest. An incision is then made on abdominal wall and small incision is placed in the left neck. The stomach and esophagus are mobilized and all of the lymph nodes are removed from the abdomen. The stomach is cut into the shape of a tube using surgical staples. The esophagus and cut portion of the stomach are pulled out through the neck incision and removed. The newly shaped stomach is brought up through the chest and sewn to the small piece of the esophagus that is left behind in the neck. The stomach will now function as the esophagus used to.

    Will I need to have anesthesia?
    Yes.

    We couldn't resist including the question--too funny in a kinky sort of way!

    Melinda and Vaughn

    "Will I need to have
    "Will I need to have anesthesia?
    Yes."
    OMG - that's funny. A bit of comic relief is needed after reading the description. OMG for different reasons.
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #16
    JReed said:

    Thanks for the explanation
    Now I need to research the difference between this En Bloc and the THE - they sound very similar to me?

    Thank you,
    Judy

    No idea of the difference, but...
    Nick's THE surgery removed only 7 nodes. The En Bloc description mentioned removing ALL nodes of the chest and abdomen.

    Take care,

    Terry

Discussion Boards