I am passing 2.5 years with my original g-tube and wonder how long they last on the average.
At the Oley conference I heard from some manufacturers that they should last at least one year.
My doctor has said he doesn't want to replace it until something fails. Guess I am worried about the parts I can't see that are inside me.
Am I going for a Guiness Record at 2.5 years?
I think you might be. My first tube last 2 months and then the balloon disintegrated and the tube slid out onto the floor while I was at work. The hospital recommends having them swapped every 9 months. Kimberly-Clark (my brand) recommends every 4 months, which is what I do.
All I can say is congratulations that you didn't go through they myriad mishaps that a lot of us did in the first year. I think a lot of the problems are because of medical error or carelessness. Marie
Hi Floyd! You certainly DO deserve to be in the Guiness Record book! My son had a Mic-key button before these last surgeries. He did good for the balloon to last 3-4 months. But, his insurance will only replace it every 6 months. We have to have his doctor write a letter of necessity to have a new one sooner. So stupid; but, necessary. Right now, he has a gj tube in place and it's been there for about 5 weeks. I sure hope it lasts a while longer.
Why mess with success? Enjoy it while you can! :) Good for you!
Well, it ended today. I had the original tube replaced with a Wizard. The hardest part was pulling out the original hard button. Now I have the inflatable one.
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