Peg tube installed Friday... now what?

[affected]

We just used medical tape.

After 6-8 weeks you can have that dangler changed for a button which sits flat against the skin

 

[Inventor]

Button is better than a fixed tube from the patient's point of view, but since it is not one-size-fits-all as the fixed tube, clinics might not advertise them. I found out that in my case it is better not to use anything between the button and skin. Any tissue keeps the area moist which leads to granulation.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

Dittos on getting the tube early. My PALS got her tube in Mid-February. We are glad she did. Took about a week to overcome discomfort, etc.

Have not used it for medicine or feeding (yet) but it's great for hydration.

Lessons learned:

stock up on T-pads,

use limited amounts of water on first few flushes, (too much may bloat PALS). After using too much on first flush we now used 30ML.

Q-tips and water to clean around entry to stomach.

if PALS is sensitive to adhesives, elastic , etc, use 100% cotton wraps (T-shirts cut into three inch wide wraps and tied to size works for us),

ask Clinic to shorten the external tube if, as with our doctor, they left more external tube than needed

 

[NotMyDad]

I am so ignorant about this: What are t-pads?
Also, I see that those "Tube Securement Devices" are pretty expensive - Amazon sells 100 for over 200. Are many needed?

 

[affected]

Don't know what T pads are, we used nothing around the stoma and 2 inches or so of medical tape to secure.

Keep the stoma clean.
Rinse the stoma with saline after a shower.
Make sure it is very dry. A Q tip is great for being sure the stoma under the tube is really clean and dry.
Put a very small amount of barrier cream on skin around the area, we used one with bit of zinc in it. This protects the skin if there are any tiny leaks or small spills when attaching and detaching tube from the button as stomach content is acid. Do not put a lot as there is a fine line between protecting the skin and creating a moist environment for yeast to get excited.

So our costs were a tub of cream that lasts a very long time, a couple of Q tips a day, and a bit of tape. I used to make my own saline - half teaspoon salt into a cup of boiling water and let cool. You can add a quarter teaspoon baking powder if you like.

 

[Nikki J]

T pads are guaze with cuts premade so they fit around the tube. People seems to vary widely as to what they want /need. My sister was similar to Tillie’s husband in using very little in the way of supllies.

She originally thought of changing to the button but did not. She was a complete transfer and if I am remember correctly just had the tube coiled under her shirt anchored with a bit of tape and a pin but no expensive devices needed. The more mobile you are the more support it needs of course.

Having some extra length makes it easier to hook up feedings and give flushes and meds I think

 

[affected]

Chris was completely mobile when his peg went in and a bit of tape is all we needed - he was no longer digging in the gardens or working, but he was fully mobile.

We were told to make that cut and put gauze around the tube entry to the stoma but he hated it. I far preferred to run a Q tip around the stoma edges and be sure it was clean and dry than pack it with gauze. Just my preference, lots of people use gauze so it's a personal choice.

 

[Inventor]

An added benefit of the button is not having to worry about clogging the tube: the narrowest place is in the disposable part.

 

[KateEmerson]

I didn't realize that the tube holders could only be purchased in bulk. A holder would last 1-3 weeks so not many are needed. My husband had Medicare which paid for them and we had VNA services which ordered them for us.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

NotMyDad;

Sorry for using an unknown (t-pads) term in my lessons learned. Your druggist should know the term. A t-pad is basically a square gauze pad with a slit or cut from one of the sides to the middle of the pad. This slit straddles the tube allowing the pad to be placed around the tube and next to the skin. We change the pad and clean the skin around the tube after each shower.

Also, we have been advised by our clinic to avoid using creams etc. on the skin under the pad and to use only water for cleaning. Since then we have learned that many people do use antiseptic ointments and such without side effects.

 

[Chincoteaguer]

NotMyDad;

Oops! The name on the package for T-pads is T-Drain. Sorry for my senior moments of confusion.

 

[patrick123]

Just a little about hydrogen peroxide, don't use it, it can turn your stoma site very red and irritated. I use soap and water to clean it.
Patrick

 

[Romeosc]

Thanks for all helpful hints... I will ask clinic about button, since I don't plan on using for a long time!

I actually gained a few pounds, since wife keeps recliner side table well stocked!

 

[Diane H]

T-Pads are commonly known as Gauze Drain Sponges in case you need to order them. They are 4x4 or 2x2. The smaller size will work for a feeding tube if you don't normally have much drainage. They are about 16 cents per packet of 2 pads if you order a case of 600 packets. Check your copays -- you might be paying more than that just for the copay. Medicare providers usually charge Medicare high prices for simple supplies so our copays could be as much or more than we what we could buy them for.

 

[affected]

The few times we used a "T pad" I simply cut the slit, it's quite a simple procedure :lol: