Whew it has been a long week! I got my feeding tube on June 7 and as of yesterday I am a week out of surgery. I thought it wasn't going to be a big change from my NJ tube but boy was I wrong, a lot of things are different now. They change my formula so I can now only hang it for 4 hours rather than 12 hours like my old formula. My GJ PEG also takes more upkeep than an NJ does, I was told to clean mine twice a day and flush it four times on top of flushing before and after meds which I didn't have to do. But on the upside this tube has turned out to be a blessing because I can now vent my stomach if I am feeling nauseas and my nausea goes away. Another reason it is a blessing is because unlike my NJ tube it doesn't run down my throat and bother my gag reflex making me throw up more than normal.
As for the pain it was pretty intense for the first five days so I was kept in the hospital for extra time on IV morphine then they finally found a pain plan that could be continued at home. Through out this week the pain really hasn't gotten any better, it is still painful to walk, bend over, laugh, cough, or sit up for longer than 5 minutes. But in the end I am glad me and my mom went through with allowing the surgeon place my tube because all of this pain and adaptation is going to be worth it in the long run.
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