G-tube change.

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Vincent

Senior member
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
999
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
08/2014
Country
CA
State
ON
City
Barrie
I have a g-tube which is a dangler, placed in Oct 2016. After 3 years and multiple staph infections, diarrhoea for a month and coordinating between hospitals, I am getting it changed Monday. I understand it is pretty low stress, but I have no idea what to expect. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. It is being done by a radiologist.
Vincent
 
My sister had a dangler also and had it changed several times by a radiologist. She said it was not bad and the procedure was certainly quick. I was allowed into the room but had to leave during the procedure
 
I had my dangler changed a mic-key button and it was a lot easier to manage. It was also done by radiology. I hope the change provides some relief!
 
If they can change it to something with a balloon, subsequent changes will be a lot simpler and relatively painless. I have a Mic-key with a balloon and it is changed every 3 months. My spouse did it yesterday and it was fairly straightforward.
 
Thanks for the replies. The mic key seems interesting. I'll ask about it while I'm there.
Vincent
 
here's my change story. after 2 years with a dangler I decided to change it for a mic-key. They had me come to the GI clinic for a regular office visit and the doctor said they would just yank it out. She told me it would feel like being snapped with a big rubber band.

So she was guiding her student (a GI fellow) through it, and apparently it was to be his first time (because that's always what you want). He yanked and it hurt pretty bad but was over really fast. Only, when he was done, he was left holding broken length of tube, no internal bumper. Apparently when he yanked, my tube just broke off, leaving the big internal bumper and an inch or two of tube inside my stomach. So then I had to go to the OR for them to retrieve it endoscopically. So what should havee been a 10 minute office visit procedure turned into all day at the hospital!

The doctor told me that can happen with tubes older than 6 months because stomach acid turns them brittle. Im really happy with the mic-key, and since it's a balloon, changing it is easy and painless.
 
So, after waiting for 2 hours the doctor looked at my tube, and the fact I've had diarrhea for 6 weeks and decided to try antibiotics. I am now on cipro for a week and decide from there. He also said the 20 mm flange inside my stomach would not only be really painful to remove, but also leave me with a hole that would be hard to keep a tube in. On the plus side of things, with a loose back end my pants fit really nicely.
Vincent
 
crap Vincent ... yeah sorry bad pun
 
On the plus side of things, with a loose back end my pants fit really nicely.
It's so wonderful that you can find humor in all the right (weird) places)!

Best wishes for this mess to get figured out so you can move on!
 
Hi Vincent, on Dec.9 I go in for the same thing,I was wondering what is the advantage of a mic-key button and how is it used?
Al
 
The Mic-key has a balloon. So changing it every few months or so is a simple matter of deflating the balloon, pulling it out and inserting a new one, inflating that balloon. This is generally painless.

The part that lies outside your body is low-profile. There is no dangler. It looks like a valve on an inflatable pool toy, but even flatter against the skin. To use the tube, an extension tube is connected and then removed after use. The disadvantage is that the caliber of the connecting piece may be narrower than the dangler. It may also be harder to manage for people with poor hand function if you are doing your own feedings.
 
I have the same question as I approach 3 years with the same dangler. I am sure I need to get it replaced sooner rather than later.
 
Thanks Karen that's exactly what I wanted to know.
Al
 
My PALS had his replaced due to irritation and infection around the site. It was done in an office with a reclining surgery table and by a general surgeon. The recliner made it possible for him to have his head and chest elevated. The MD numbed the area around the site with injections. My PALS was on a bipap 24/7 so nothing sedating was given to him. The doctor yanked it out in one swift pull and pushed the new one in with the same conviction. I thought my husband would pass out! Within 5 to 10 minutes he was over the pain and shock of having that done and felt infinitely better. Thankfully the MD didn't mess around, takes some nerve to do that despite the patient's discomfort/fear. We were very grateful! Best to all and I am sorry anyone has to do this at all :(
 
That was my experience. I went with the mic-key because the low profile makes it less likely to catch on things and it is more aesthetic. My wife changes mine out every 3 months


Edit: the removal of the initial dangler hurt like hell. There is button on the back of the dangler ( inside your stomach) and they have to pull hard enough to collapse the button. The reason for this is because the initial dangler is put in "from one side". They pump your stomach full of air and use an mri to position the punch and they punch a hole from the outside and pull something and the button spreads out. To replace it they have to pull hard enough to collapse the button.
 
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