G-tube Excitement

Today ended up being a little more exciting than I would have liked. Right after Caden's 7 am feeding, Greg was changing his diaper and noticed the g-tube had come out of Caden's stomach completely! It must have come out after the feed was over because his clothes weren't wet at all. But it was quite a surprise. We knew that we had to get it back in as soon as possible because the hole can close quickly. We don't really know exactly how quickly but we didn't want to take the chance. So, I got my computer and went to the website I had bookmarked showing a step-by-step on how to replace the tube. Then I grabbed the new g-tube from our box of home medical supplies and Greg and I went to work. We followed the instructions and were able to get the new tube in relatively easily. Whew!

However, we had been told upon discharge from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, that the first time the tube was replaced, that we would need to have a contrast study done in radiology to confirm correct placement. They want to make sure the tube isn't leaking into the abdominal cavity which would be a huge problem.

I already had an appointment scheduled this morning with Caden's pediatrician to talk about referrals to all the specialists we need to see. So the timing was good because I just put the kids in the car and went to the doctor at 9 am. I ended up being there for about an hour as he tried to get one of the pediatric GI doctors on the phone to ask their opinion about the contrast study. The doctor he talked to felt that since LPCH wanted us to do it, that we should go ahead and do it. So, the pediatrician sent us to Mercy San Juan Hospital to get the study done. It ended up being a long morning with waiting at the pediatrician's office to waiting at the hospital for patient registration and then again in the imaging department. But we finally got into the room where they did the study. The radiologist confirmed that placement was good and the fluid was going where it was supposed to. But he was getting some more images when all of a sudden the machine shut down! Kyler had taken it upon himself to push some of the buttons behind the window where he was waiting outside of the radiation area. I was wearing a protective apron and standing next to Caden, but one of the x-ray techs was supposed to be helping keep Kyler out of trouble. Unfortunately she turned her head for just a second and that was all Kyler needed to push the button which stopped the machine! Thankfully he didn't cause any damage and everyone involved was really good-natured about it. But it's a little embarrassing to have your child do that!

Anyhow, the end result is that the tube is placed correctly, yes, I am patting myself on the back for getting it put in right. However, I felt so bad for Caden in the meantime. They didn't want me to put anything through the tube until they confirmed placement so that meant I couldn't give him his feeding at 10 am when he would normally eat. It wasn't until 12:30 pm that I could finally feed him. He was quite upset about not being able to eat sooner! I felt so bad. And of course, Kyler was starving too so it was complete chaos when I got home trying to get both boys fed and taken care of. Thankfully Caden settled down for a nice long nap shortly after eating. And, Kyler... well, let's just say he had a short period of quiet in his room. No nap, but oh well. All in a day's work of being a mother with two boys, one of which has a feeding tube!