Day 1: Feeding Tube Awareness

Today marks the first day of Feeding Tube Awareness Week! I am LOVING looking at all the beautiful & handsome men who are not ashamed of their tube! Today in honor of the day I just want you to get up close and personal with my feeding tube! The more you see it the more "normal" it becomes to you. So, do share! I also want to answer frequently asked questions all about my tube.

1) "Does it hurt?"

•Nope! The granulation tissue, that inevitably will form at some point in a tubies life, does hurt though. If you want, you can look up what that is because I plan on addressing that later 😊

2) "Why do you have a tube?"

• I have never been in remission with my Crohn's Disease or any of the 4 other major diseases I've racked up so far. Including Gastroparesis. I have never met anyone in person with both Crohn's & Gastroparesis. And I can only think of 7 I've "met" via internet with both diseases. They are a oxy-moron as far as 2 diseases being present in the same patient. 

I hate to say it but like many others, I ran out of options. My stomach got to the point where it was almost 100% paralyzed due to Gastroparesis and combine that with a inflamed GI tract, I got my more permanent "tubing" in.

3) Will you have it forever?

• To quote my doctor on every new med/treatment I've had "Forever. If something actually works out for you, I want you on it forever or until it doesn't." 😅

4) What kind of tube do you have?

• I have a GJ tube. Meaning it's one tube but internally it's actually two "ports". One part is in my actual stomach so I can vent it & drain it. In other words, I burp and vomit through a tube so yeah I'm pretty talented. All the guys love it 😉 I also have a part in the intestines that I use 24/7 to put formula in. 

5) Have you had any other tubes before? 

• Yes. NG tube/G tube/GJ tube(& soon I might have to get both a G tube and J tube. Mainly because of my anatomy.

To be honest I was quite disgusted when I "graduated" from a G tube(only goes in your stomach) to a GJ tube. I knew it was going to have a part in my intestines but I did not expect it to get clogged with poop. 

I remember once I was skyping a friend(with a GJ tube) who lives across the country in hopes of her helping me & all of a sudden it unclogged and poop was all over myself, my bed & probably on her too technically. I was mortified but like she said, it's a part of me(pun intended). 

6) Do you miss food?

• Every day. I do cheat and eat and on those days I really hate myself because that involves constantly draining it out of my tube because if not, it will just be chillin in my stomach for a few years.

7) What do the words stand for on your tube?

• Gastric is the part that goes in the stomach, Jejunal is the part in my intestines & BAL stands for balloon. Yes. Balloon. I have a small balloon in my stomach that is used to hold it all together. Doctors/nurses/patients can insert a syringe and fill it up or deflate it however much it needs to be from time to time. You can feel the balloon(gently)easily even though it's in your actual stomach because it has to be close to the abdominal wall.