Gastrostomy Tube (G Tube)
This is the Mic-Key Low Profile button that Tiernan has. The balloon is filled with water and holds the button snuggly against the inside wall of his abdomen.
Gastro-jejunostomy Tube (G-J Tube)
This was the tube T had from January 2010 to November 2010.
Every time it came out meant we had to take him in to the ER to have it replaced under sedation in
the Interventional Radiology so they could follow it on x-ray to make sure the placement was correct.
BIG headache.
Stoma: Fancy word for the hole into his stomach through which the tube gets placed.
Interesting note about the stoma....once he no longer needs the tube, we just remove it, cover the site with a bandage and it heals. Quickly. Within days. Amazing!
Granulation Tissue: irritated tissue around the stoma. This is pretty difficult to get rid of. The treatment involves silver nitrate. To burn the tissue. Eesh.
Venting: like burping. Some tube fed kids need to be vented a lot. Some not at all. Tiernan rarely needs it, but when he does, it is quite a satisfying release of pressure.
Bolus Feed: the process for feeding a large amount of food in a short amount of time. Tiernan's bolus feeds go in in under 2 minutes.
Continuous Feed: A slow drip or pump regulated feed over many hours. This is always how one is fed through a G-J because the intestine does not expand to allow for a bolus feed. Sometimes people cannot handle a large amount in their stomach at one time so they receive their meals through the pump by continuous feeds.
