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Mickey G-J tube

SBMom4
0 Recommendations

I am new to the group....hoping someone can help!
My daughter had her Gtube removed in January (due to increased aspiration pnuemonia) and they placed a low profile Mickey G-J tube. She is on continous feeds 24hr a day.....and if you have seen the tube you can't plug the G port (with the attached closure) while your feed is plugged into your J.....So my question is should there be mass amounts of leakage coming out of this G port when it is not being used? If so, any suggestions on how to stop it? She is raw and having serious skin breakdown because of the moisture.
This is our second Mickey G-J and after 2 weeks I am having the same problem. Doctors don't know....this is a fairly new model.

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Prevacid Reglan

13 replies

alphabubo

I wish that I could offer some advice, but all my j-tubes and g-tubes have been separate. However, I will be sure to keep you and your daughter in my thoughts and prayers. I hope that you may be able to find the answers that you are looking for and your daughter may be able to get some relief. Many hugs to you both.

Warm regards,
Bobbiejo

SBMom4

Thank You!

hockeykid

I am very familiar with the tube that your daughter has. I just wanted to let you know that the gastric port should not leak when you are feeding into the jejunal port. Do you think the feeds are backing up into her stomach? I know that if the jejunal extension migrates back to the stomach you will have leakage from the gastric port. I have seen that happen.The low profile J/G button should last for three months before it needs to be changed.
Are you familiar with Farrell Valve Bags? They can be hooked up to the gastric port while one feeds. Maybe your daughter just needs continuous gastric decompression.
I hope everything works out for you two.

SBMom4

hockeykid
Thanks for your response. I actually called the manufacturer this morning, they put me in with their medical/tech dept. They said the reason for this is she has to much acid in her tummy, and that the G port need to be vented or plugged & clamped with an extension at all times. That it will leak if it is not plugged. I will look into those Valve bags...hopefully I can find something that will help her!

hockeykid

I am glad you got an answer to your problem. If you have any other problems, feel free to ask away. Decompressing of the stomach is very helpful when it comes to releasing excess bile and stomach acid. If you not not have Farrell Valve bags, you can tie an extra large glove using a rubber band to the Mic-Key Bolus Extension. I have also heard of people using colostomy bags. I would highly recommend venting the gastric port overnight. If fliud backs up behind the gastric or jejunal ports, the button tends to break. I would run this idea by your IR doc or GI doc.

karenlas

Trevor has the same tube. He also leaks. The anti reflux valve is shot. He pulls the "cap" of the tubes around the j port to close the g port when feeding . He also uses the Farrell bags. We love them.

Karen
www.caringbridge.org/visit/trevorlasure

marycb

My son has the seperate J & G tubes, but also has problems with stomach acid build-up and pressure in his stomach at night during his feeds. We attach a bag that is designed to be a urine drainage bag to his G with an extension set and let the stomach drain into that all night. We are afraid that he will aspirate the stomach acid if it builds up too much. Good luck with your problem, we deal with the raw skin from leakage around the J site and it's miserable.
Mary

kaitlynsmommy85

To be fairly honest with you I'm not sure you have the same mic-e button as my daughter but my daughters had a closure tab that we were able to put in the hole so it will stop any leakage. If there is any leakage your child might be trying to have a bowl movement or is just simply stretching causing your childs stomach to push out in result of leakage coming from the button. But if I were you I would ask your doctor just to be safe. I hope this works for you and good luck with everything.

cristyandlaura

Sorry you are having so much trouble. My daughter has the same tube. We don't have any problems with leaking from the G port and it is never plugged. If you stretch it around I can usually get the plugged into the G. You might try cutting the plug for the G section and just using it that way (although I would definitely lose it if I cut it off).

My doctors always have recommended keeping the site open to air as much as possible and not using gauze pads. The air helps minimize skin breakdown.

cdpmom

My son has had a g tube for a year, and was "upgraded" to a g/j tube in August due to bilious vomiting. Feeding through the j port has dramatically improved his ability to tolerate feeds, but lately, has been producing A LOT of bile again. He is not obstructed, he is passing gas and having bowel movements. He is on Prevacid and Reglan.

This is my question, if I connect a Farrel bag (we happen to have some that my friend gave me) - if I place it high on the IV pole we get some bile collected in there - BUT - if I place it lower, or even on the floor, it can collect TONS of bile (today, I had it hung behind him on the wheel chair and over the course of 4 hours I collected almost 300 ml). Did I aggravate the situation by having it too low? Or did it benefit him by getting it out? I would appreciate your expertise in this area - we are still very new to this. Thanks in advance for your help and guidance.

LoraOT

My daughter also has a Mickey G-J button as does my friend's son. Her son has the "urinary catheter bag" that is hooked up to drain the G portion. If she doesn't drain her son, he gets EXTREMELY distended. Many days, they also get 300-400 cc's out of the G port. The only thing that I would caution you about, which they had to find out the hard way (when Everett got hospitalized) was that so much drainage also drains out his electrolytes. So they have to replace his drainage with extra Pedialyte and water mixture. If he drains 150cc's a day, he gets a mixture of 75cc water/75cc Pedialyte back as an "extra" feed. It's always a bilious looking drainage too...if it looks like milk, then the tube has twirled up out of his intestines and into his stomach. If you do use this bag method of draining your son's stomach, you have to clamp off the bag after you give meds for at least a half hour, because otherwise the meds will drain out!

My daughter does not have excessive drainage from her G port, but she does have SOME, if we have recently given her meds (which have to go in her G), or the two small feeds that we give her G per day, to keep her stomach active. To stop this, I took a Mickey extender, pushed the clamp all the way up toward the insertion, and cut off the rest of the tube. I used this small clamped tube to block off that port. As someone suggested before, I once considered cutting off the G plug to plug the hole, but knew that I would lose it!

Hope this was helpful! ~ Lora, mom to Maria, Gtube since 18 mos old, GJ tube since June 2009

cdpmom

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the wonderful knowledge you have shared with me. Never in a million years would I think that electrolytes were even an issue!

cdpmom

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the wonderful knowledge you have shared with me. Never in a million years would I think that electrolytes were even an issue!

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