Status
Not open for further replies.

Scotiaspirit

Distinguished member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
209
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
11/2015
Country
CA
State
Nova Scotia
City
Dartmouth
I've been waiting since September to have Peg surgery finally on February 22nd 2017 it was successfully inserted just to the left of center in an area just below the rib cage Junctions into the abdominal muscles. The first surgeon attempted the surgery on December 8th 2016 and did not complete the surgery because my stomach and diaphragm were pushed up into the chest cavity.
On February 22nd a different surgeon than the original one attempted the surgery and was able to successfully place the peg go to the wall of my abdomen. I was sent home later that day other than when the freezing the local anesthetic started to wear off the pain was bearable and I was doing okay. The following day I started to develop a high fever in which a staff nurse on the 811 line advised I should go to the local emergency department without delay. The surgical site became very inflamed and the pain was pretty nasty. An abdominal x-ray showed I had a paralytic Ileus, the short-term side effect that happens to some patients after abdominal surgery.. Because of the fever it was concern I also could be developing an infection. In the end the surgical team that tended to me decided it was better not to prescribe antibiotics as it could be more to do with inflammation moreso than an infection. Over the weekend they will be sending a nurse to my residence three times each day to change the dressing and keep a close eye to see if an infection develops. I have been Flushing the PEG with about 240 milliliters of water three times daily and tonight it certainly feels much better than it did last night. They advised me it may take another 24 to 48 hours before my bowels will move due to the paralytic Ileus. They adviced me that paralytic ileus will usually resolve itself within a day or two. They gave me the option of staying in the hospital however they were at a code census which would have meant I would have had to stay on a little gurney in the Emergency Dept., or I could go home and have the Von nurses come by three times a day to change the dressing and tend to the wound. I chose the latter and I'm feeling much better being able to lay in my own bed. We'll see how the next couple of days go but I believe the worst is now behind me.
 
That sounds like quite an ordeal. I'm pleased you can get care at home. I'm doubtful staying on a gurney in the ER would be restful enough for you to heal quickly!
 
Wow, welcome home! Definitely no to that kind of hospital stay offer, there is just no place like home. Hoping hard that you show improvement quickly and it becomes a dim memory.
 
Sorry you had problems but happy you have the tube now and that you are able to be home. Under the best of circumstances hospitals are difficult places. To be stuck in the ED for an extended period would have been awful

Swift recovery!
 
Sounds like quite an ordeal. So glad you were finally able to get the PEG. Hopefully, the worst is behind you and you are on the mend. Thanks for letting us know.
 
Thanks for the info as I am slated for March 27 for the peg.
Hope ya recover quickly!
Chally
 
For me when they cut a hole in me I consider that a very serious think, glad your improving. I am sure in a few weeks you will be back to normal.
Good Iuck
Al
 
Ouch! Hopefully you are on the mend!
 
I am so grateful for my ALS Clinic Doctor. He had me get a PEG early, before diaphragm changes, to reduce the risk of complications that he had seen. Just a thought for those of us who haven't done it yet.
Wishing you all the best Scotia spirit.
 
Spirit, hope you are on the mend!

Best,
Laurie
 
Scotiaspirit how are you healing up now?
 
Scotiaspirit;406844. The first surgeon attempted the surgery on December 8th 2016 and did not complete the surgery because my stomach and diaphragm were pushed up into the chest cavity.[/QUOTE said:
That is very typical in ALS as the diaphragm weakens. For anyone else considering a feeding tube, especially after breathing problems start, consider looking for a radiologist who uses the RIG or PRG procedure instead of the PEG method. It is done using x-ray to locate the best place in the stomach for insertion so it doesn't require the garden hose sized endoscopy tube used in the PEG procedure. It requires minimal sedation and is therefore better for anyone with breathing problems. It is successful in nearly all feeding tube placements. The procedure is fairly new and requires a radiologist trained in the procedure which may not be available near you. Surgeons probably don't like loosing feeding tube procedures to radiologists so probably won't recommend you go elsewhere, but it is a better procedure. It still requires insertion through the abdomen though, so the post procedure pain when the local anesthetic wears off will be the same. The types of feeding tubes used will be the same as the PEG procedure. (A PEG is a method of putting in a feeding tube, not a type or brand of feeding tube.)
 
Thank you for the comments and I am improving. I am set for 3x feedings today. Bowels have resumed to normal function. Having to get used to the long tube for the next while will take getting used to. After it heals up well, they will be able to insert a shorter tube with a button at the skin level I been told.I was dehydrated most days over the last couple of months, now I can inject lots of water 240 ml X 4 times day or more to whatever I can tolerate. My next dr appointment, I will get an rx for a pump, that way I can carry my feed and be nourished without being confined to a chair for 1 1/2 hours while it gravity feeds. It helps me conserve a lot of energy by not having to chew and swallowe (and the fear of chocking) that goes with it.
 
Glad to hear that "all systems are go" for feedings! I would anticipate that soon you will be taking feedings much more quickly than a hour and a half. Most of us do well just pouring 8 ounces of feeding formula down the tube using a 60 cc syringe as a funnel over a few minutes and following up with water. This is faster per feeding but generally requires 4 to 6 feedings a day to get enough nutrients and calories in. Even so, it is less time out of your day devoted to feedings. Other people use a pump overnight to get most the food they need, then do a quick 4 to 8 ounce gravity feed when they get hungry during the day. A definite time saver! The button type tubes are nice. No trying to position tubing under clothes, no risk of having it pulled on. The only downside is having to use that short adapter to attach the tube or a 60 cc syringe. One more thing to wash or lose! or misplace! I only have about 7 inches of tube and it is soft and flexible enough to lie pretty flat. I am not particularly vain about having a little tube bump under my shirt to save my husband one extra step in the feeding process. I get points for being such a good patient, right?
 
So glad to hear you are on the up!

I'm not sure why it would take 1.5 hours to give you a feed? I gravity fed through a syringe and it used to take around 10 mins as I would go pretty slow. Being tied to a feeding for that long would drive me spare quickly!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top