Monday, August 31, 2009

GJ tube #5?




I'm starting to lose count, but I think we are up to Abby's 5th GJ tube replacement.

Last week we noticed her tube was loose and found almost no water in the balloon (inside her belly there is a water filled balloon holding the tube against her skin).  The tube was obviously slipping out of her tummy when ever she moved.  

In an attempt to keep it in as long as possible I tried to re-fill the balloon several times on Friday... but it finally slid out when I picked her up.  We spent most of Friday afternoon at Huntsville Hospital waiting for our turn in the procedure room.  



The tube replacement itself went pretty smoothly, although we waited for about 1.5 hrs for the doctor to appear.

I'm finding that with each little crises such as this, I'm becoming more calm and relaxed than the time before.  The first time I saw her tube get yanked out I had a moment of panic and running around in circles trying to find our emergency G-tube to put in it's place.  This time I was able to calmly wipe up the mess, throw the old tube out, get the new one ready and replaced while Abby was in her stander, waiting to be strapped in.  

I find it kind of funny recognizing personal growth in this area... just not one of those things I thought I would be good at with my 5 year old.  It is however one of the many times I've been thankful for being an RN.

1 comment:

The Caldwells said...

Dear Patty,

Sometimes life can seem overwhelming and though your blog is upbeat even when sharing your burdens one thing stands out to me (among other things), you are a great mom!

Think of you often!! Love, Krista