Ditto to what was said above!
My son was 16 when he needed to learn to insert the tube. As Twiggy said, nurses showed him how to do it a couple of times and then he was on his own. Within a few days, he was doing it in seconds. He would insert it each night and remove it in the morning. He did six weeks of formula only but since then, July 2011, has kept doing it at half dose/5 nights per week. He truly finds it easy to do.
As Twiggy mentioned, he found the sensation of the tube a bit annoying the first couple of days... not painful, just bothersome but didn't even notice after a couple of days.
Make sure they give you a very thin tube. My son's tube is 6-FR (apparently child/infant sized - he is 5'11", 170 lbs and it works for him!). Also, some people find it easier to insert in one side compared to the other - my son ALWAYS uses the left side.
The toughest part is getting past the gag reflex... might help to try to visualize how tiny the tube actually is compared to swallowing a bite of food. Also, insert the tube while drinking water - helps you 'swallow' the tube. ie, have someone hold a glass of water for you with a straw, while you insert the tube, drink the water. (after a couple of weeks, my son wasn't even using the water anymore.)
You can also get lubricating gel that you dip the end of the tube into... some of the gels can also be 'numbing' gels, again my son only used the gel for a couple of weeks.
And, as challenging/scary as it seems, I would also recommend that YOU do the insertion when you're trying to learn WITH the nurse's guidance. I think it's tougher to have someone else do it because they can't feel what you're feeling... if you're doing it, you'll know when to slow down, adjust it a bit, etc.
And, if it's still too difficult (because everyone's different!), you certainly do have the option of leaving the tube in! My understanding is that it can stay in for a number of weeks!
By the way, removing the tube is easy... it just slides out.
Good luck!!!! :ghug:
