PEG Care

Status
Not open for further replies.

Miss

Very helpful member
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,782
Reason
Lost a loved one
Diagnosis
04/2010
Country
US
State
In the Land of Cotton
City
Way Down South
Okay, I know I am wearing this out, but I just don't feel comfortable with the instructions I was given by the GI outpatient surgical clinic.

They told me to clean the incision site once or twice a day. That's it. We were told to schedule a follow up appointment with the GI in two months. No flushing the tube or anything like that because my husband is not using it yet. The incision site looks good (day 4) - no redness or swelling.

I just want to make sure I'm doing what everyone else did (the folks that had no problem!).
 
Missy, I would think that it would be a good idea to put some water through the tube at least once a day just to keep it from getting plugged. It cant hurt and will give you some practice with how to do it and how it feels.

Really good that there is no redness or swelling.
 
Where do I get the supplies for that? They gave me nothing. No gauze, no tape, no syringe - nothing. I have gotten gauze and tape at Walgreens. Do they also have syringes? Am I going to instinctively know how to do that (I'm no brain surgeon, but I am fairly intelligent) or should I wait, march into the GI's office on Monday and make them show me how to do this.
 
I agree with Barry, you should flush it at least once a day, I would suggest twice, once in the morning and again at night. By flushing I mean putting water through the tube.

As far as cleaning the site, we have only done that once a day with saline and I have had my tube for over 3 years without a problem.

We get all our supplies from a local medical supply store. I did buy some syringes off eBay.That worked out well.
 
Same question. Am I going to just know how to flush the tube? Is there a chance I could do it wrong?
 
It is just a case of passing some water through it into his stomach. There is no way to do that wrong.
So you fill up the syringe and inject the water through the tube.
 
Sterile water, saline, tap - what's the best?
 
We have a RO filter. Reverse Osmosis. That we use for all the water in our humidifier and cleaning etc.

You use the same water you drink by mouth, nothing is different. Whatever used to go into his stomach can be put there through the PEG.
 
Just make sure it is not real cold, and go slow. For quite a while we used tonic water, as we hoped it might help with cramps. We used sterile water for a while too, but now we go with plain ol tap water. HUGS Lori
 
Missy, if the tube has a clamp it is easiest but if it doesn't then you should get a small clamp which is used to pinch off the tube when you open the cap so you don't have a mess. You can just kink the tube too but a clamp is easier and leaves your hands free. I use a 60 ml catheter tip syringe (I get Kendall Monoject 60ml) which fits very nicely into the peg tube end.

So the sequence to flush is: untape the peg tube, clamp the tube, open the cap, insert the syringe full of water into the peg tube end, unclamp the tube, push the syringe plunger until empty, clamp the tube, remove the syringe, cap the tube, remove the clamp and retape the tube.

The other way to do it is to remove the plunger from the syringe and just use it as a funnel. The sequence is the same, clamp the tube and uncap it, insert the syringe barrel, fill it with water and then unclamp tube. This way you can easily do multiple fills, just make sure that you don't allow air in as it will cause a gassy stomach. Once you are done with the water clamp the tube, remove the syringe, recap the tube and retape it and you are done.

I would think that one syringe twice a day would be a good start and once you have practiced it you will find it a very fast and easy way to have a drink.

Good luck and don't worry, it's not complicated.
 
Thanks so much for the info. I am going to march up to the GI's office on Monday and ask them why in the HELL they didn't give me any of these instructions. Absolutely ridiculous.

Can I get the syringe at a drug store?
 
I have not been able to find the syringe at a drug store but you can ask. I get mine from eBay, boxes at a time.

60cc Syringe Catheter
 
Thanks Joel. I'll try the drugstore. If they don't have them, I guess I'll have to wait until I go to the GI's office on Monday (or a medical supply store on Monday)

Just out of curiousity, has anyone EVER been told just to clean the incision site and not to flush the tube until you started using it?
 
My opinion; that is not a good idea because stomach contents can back up into the tube and possibly clog the tube. If left to long the tube would have to be replaced.
 
If I can't find a syringe at the drugstore, it will have to wait until Monday. That would mean that it hasn't been flushed since it was put in on Wednesday. Should I be worried?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top