“Do What With My Feedings Tube?” Chapter 90

A PEG feeding tube insertion is the placement of a feeding tube through the skin and the stomach wall. It goes directly into the stomach. My initial Mic-Key feeding tube insertion was done in part using a procedure called endoscopy. For every replacement I had to go to the VA hospital in D.C. Driving there, seeing the doctor, and driving back could take a total of three hours on a good day. Not to mention the fact that I'd need two people to take me and all the supplies/equipment we have to bring. So, when I was told the Mic-key could be changed at home, you could imagine the look on my face.

We’ve been told to have the Mic-key changed every four months, or as needed. There are others who do it more often. Sometimes, if the valve were to break, then it needs to be replaced and you have to get another appointment and trek back to the hospital. Over the last four months, we've received all of the supplies to be able to change it at home.

Fortunately, we have Donna. She's a great nurse and has changed Mic-keys before. It was time and we were ready. My Mic-key was four months old and the valve was also broken. When the valve breaks, it causes it to leak. To stop the leak, you just have to close the cover. It’s still functional for feeding, so it is not necessarily an emergency and there isn't a reason to replace it right away.

Donna laid everything out she needed and cleaned the area. To help with any pain, she put on topical lidocaine to numb the site. I asked Laura to video so you can see every step.

Note: To me, getting a paper cut is worse than what you will see. If you get squeamish over paper cuts you don’t have to push play. However, if you want to learn and see something cool, you would have already hit play.

Once the site is prepared, the first step is to deflate the balloon sitting inside the stomach, holding the Mic-key in place. Using a syringe, Donna drew the saline out, then pulled out the Mic-key smoothly. I like to call it my turkey timer because it definitely looks like the timer you pull out of the turkey when it is done, and it leaves the same hole hole behind.

When the Mic-key was removed, you could see the inside of my stomach. If you stuck your finger in it, you would actually be touching inside the stomach. The hole is not stabilized, so it will close if you wait too long. That being said, you don’t need to freak out and rush to put the new Mic-key in, but you can’t take a smoke break either. You are probably wondering why nothing spews out like a blow hole on a whale? 🐳 The answer is simple -you don’t replace it right after eating. If you do, then you should gather up the kids and show them the new trick you learned.

The next step was to insert the new sterile Mic-key into the hole. Donna gently pushed it in until the rim flat on the surface of my belly. She then filled the balloon back up with 6-7cc of sterile water. The last step is to spin the Mic-key 360 degrees to make sure it is in properly. If it doesn’t spin then the balloon may not be inside the stomach lining properly.

The last thing to happen is to clean the site and feed me, because after all that, I'm hungry.

It doesn’t hurt at all, but of course that might be because I’m "ALS MAN," even though I am still looking for my cape. I imagine it could hurt a little for you meer mortals. All in all, it will probably take you longer to read this blog than to change a feeding tube. You don’t need a nurse either, I am just blessed to have one. Finally, the ease of doing it at home in 10 minutes is far better than a three hour round trip to the hospital.

I hope this gave you some insight and comfort to change your feeding tube at home. I just need to convince Laura to change my trachea next.

Love and Blessings

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