Peg replaced with mic-key

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azgirl

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Joined
Jan 20, 2014
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961
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
12/2013
Country
US
State
AZ
City
Tucson
I got my peg in June and was getting sick of the dangling tube. Got it replaced with mic key button and it's so much better for me.

It was held in by bumper but they still pulled it out that little hole. Painful, but only for a few seconds!

Very happy I did it.
 
Glad it is working well for you!
 
that's fantastic Kay - the buttons are really so much easier to deal with!
 
Its really much easier. However, I will. Was very very painful pulling. Other one out. It was good they didnt tell me in advance!

Jocalyn
 
I'm thinking about changing my dangler to a mic key. My one concern is-- how hard is it to connect tubing to it if you have weak hands/fingers? The one thing about the dangler is I can independently use it without needing a caregiver's help. This is important to me for as long as I can keep that independence since I spend several hours home alone most week days.
 
Hi Kristina. It is very simple to connect the extension t if you have fingers that work properly. The dangler requires less finger dexterity to use, so you may want to wait on the button.
 
If you are using it yourself and have any hand issues, stick with the dangler for sure.
 
fwiw, PEG is the type of operation that placed your dangler, and not a type of tube. RIG is another type of operation, which can also place a dangler.

Mic-key and "dangler" are the types of tubes, one a brand name and the other a nickname/generic name.

Please excuse the pedantic post. ;-)
 
Now I'm confused.

So if you have the RIG procedure can you change from dangler to Mic-key and back? Is that a procedure that a doctor needs to do? What if one started out with a Mic-key, then decided a dangler would be better?

Also, after healing, can you go in a pool with either. Does the tube come out when you go in water?

I thought I understood, but clearly, I do not.
 
Kim PEG or RIG is simply the procedure used to place the INITIAL feeding tube - and to create the stoma.

After that the type of dangler or button you have are all the same, the resulting stoma is exactly the same - it's a difference of going in through the mouth with an endoscope or using radiology to see what they are doing.

Once the stoma is completely healed over (around 6 weeks if there are no complications) you can swim. It would be far easier with a button however. You cannot take the tube out or you would have an open hole directly to your stomach. If the tube, or a button does accidentally come out you must try to get it back in and rush to a hospital as the stoma closes over super fast and it can mean a new procedure to recreate the stoma.

Normally a dangler is placed at the initial stoma creation (kind of like starting with a piercing stud, then later you can change to other earrings). Usually a doctor does the change, but lots of people who deal with them for years, especially with children learn to change it themselves. I would suggest having a doctor or a good stoma nurse do the changes.

Yes you can switch from dangler to button and even back again, or to a different type of button.

Hope that helps!
 
The type of operation, PEG or RIG, is of absolutely NO consequence once the operation is over. Zip. Nada.

Once the stoma is healed and preferably once it's mature, you can swap for whatever you wish. The key thing to know is that all (most, many?) of the initial danglers have a solid internal bumper and not the balloons that most of the replacement tubes have.

I believe that the solid bumper tunes require an operation to place them, but I know that the balloon tubes do not.

Once healed, swimming and bathing are fine. The tubes do NOT come out, except to be replaced.
 
I am afraid that my careless use of terms caused the confusion.
I had thePEG procedure to place the dangler. I got tired of the about foot long tube hanging out. So went back after several months to have doctor replace it with mic key. Yes it hurt badly but only for a minute. I love it. Much easier to keep clean and would be simple to cover to swim.
 
Yes it hurt badly but only for a minute.

From that comment I assume that your doctor yanked yours out, too?

The sound was worse than the yank...
 
So a RIG is just a gastrostomy performed by a radiologist and initially they can also do a Mic-key with a balloon? That seems like it would be an easier way to go, especially if there were breathing issues.

Thanks Kay, Greg, and Tillie.
 
Not sure, Kim, but my dr only does Peg with dangler. I've heard that some dr now will put button in first time but can't confirm.

Yes Greg, one big yank and it was out . Kind of like delivering big baby thru small hole! But you probably can't relate to that.
 
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