Has anyone had trouble with the balloon that holds a GJ tube in place deflating before they are scheduled to get the tube replaced? Do your tubes fall out completely as a result?
I had this happen in the middle of the night in late August (had to go to the ER, because I was in such a panic over the hole closing), and I had it happen today. Its almost like my body can't keep a feeding tube for more that 2 months at a time! Is this normal?
Could what I eat cause the balloon to deflate, even if I don't eat a lot at a time and chew it up very well? My doctor is also having me vent the gastric side of my tube several times a day, because of my stomach not emptying most of the food I eat.
I'm starting to get annoyed at having to have the GJ tube changed all the time and am wondering if there's a way to keep it in longer than 2 months.
Jessie
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balloon popping in the GJ tube
- By prettykitty
- Posted October 24, 2009 at 1:14 am · 6 replies
- In Home tube feeding (HEN, enteral nutrition)
- Shared with the public
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- By jmkaya
- Posted October 24, 2009 at 9:21 am
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hi jessie,
my son has a g-tube...he does not have a gj but we are having a terrible problem wth his mic-key button...we have spent numerous hours on the phone wth the people at kimberly-clark and they told me that .1% isn't compatible with their balloon system...we have to change his button every 2-6 DAYS! it is insane! we are trying a different manufacturer, the AMT mini one balloon and if that doesn't work there is a non-balloon capsule system from AMT...they told us the integrity of the balloon is lessened by medications or the ph of the gastric system gavin has an enormous amount of pressure in his belly but venting didn't really help...it appears his stomach was trying to digest the balloon which was minimizing the strength of the balloon...we started putting less water in the balloon and that did help a little it would get us at least a week out of the button...i hope some of this helps and i hope you find a solution to your issue!
warm wishes,
michelle
- By pammee
- Posted October 24, 2009 at 8:21 pm
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Hi Jessie,
When I had the gj the longest I had the balloon or the tube not migrate was 3-5 weeks. After 18 months I went to a j tube and a seperate g tube. I now have tubes that do not have balloons but have an anchor.
They are the Kendall Entristar. They're changed
every 6months.
pam
- By Sanford
- Posted October 25, 2009 at 5:31 am
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My first K-C combo tube fell out about 2 weeks shy of the replacement. I haven't had a problem since then, as I've had my tubes replaced every 4 months. I also don't inflate the balloons as much as the directions say to.
- By Woeful
- Posted October 25, 2009 at 3:07 pm
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I've had two fall out. The first came out 2 weeks post-hospitalization, but that tube was the mushroom kind. They replaced it with the balloon kind. I woke up about a month ago and thought the tubing looked like it was sticking way out. Looked at the number (that's written on the tubing as it goes into your stomach) and it was on 2 (it's usually between 4 and 6). Tried to push it back in to no avail. Called my GI doc and he walked my mom through re-inflating the balloon, but in the middle of her doing that, the balloon came out. I freaked out and without thinking, shoved it back in. Luckily I must have shoved it at just the right angle, as it went right back through the stomach muscle and where it belonged, sealing up tight. However, it makes like this "leaking" sound (does your son's tube make that sound?), so I think the balloon has a small leak in it. I watch it constantly all day and just keep pushing it down when it looks to me like it's starting to stick out too far. I'm due for a new J tube soon as my specialists make up their mind about it (I have a concurrent medical issue they're dithering over), but I don't know if/how regularly tubes are supposed to be replaced. My surgeon never mentioned it needing to be replaced periodically. I've had 3 tubes in a year, but the first two were replaced because they kept clogging (they put in a 20 Fr and I need a 24 Fr). I don't use my tube for feeding, however (I don't know if that makes a difference); my tube is just for drainage of stomach acids, etc. I'd love to know what causes them to leak; maybe stomach acids 'eat' away at the balloon?
- By DungBeetle
- Posted October 28, 2009 at 12:39 pm
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My oldest goes thru his Gtube about every 8 weeks with the balloon breaking (on zantac) but my youngest's Gtube can last 8 months and never get that black build up even.
One has a stoma that can be open hours with no change and the tiny guy's closes right away and we have had to redilate with 8 fr tubing (suction cath), 10fr, 14fr and then the mickey 14 fr would fix back in...big supply a numbing cream for that.
wish your tube's life was longer~
- By feeder1
- Posted November 1, 2009 at 2:33 pm
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Kind of late to be answering your question but better late than never I guess. My husband has his fall out frequently and with the GJ it is more difficult to get it replaced as it has to be done by radiology department. He spent the last 2 weeks in the hospital and the nurse managed to get it to break...........! Another time it broke while we were in Florida and had to make arrangements to get it redone; we started about a year ago working with a concierge doctor so he is always able to talk to us. I called him and he arranged for us to go to Daytona Beach and have it done there. His peg tube very seldom had to be replaced but he frequently aspirates because of radiation to his throat, it was suggested to switch to the GJ. Guess there are pros and cons to everything. You do need to stuff it back in your tummy so they don't have to make another hole, wrap it with ace bandages or whatever you can find as it needs to be kept as sterile as possible.
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