NG Tube.

[nellie456]

Hi, so iv had stomach cramps since Friday (its now Monday) and its still here. I'm phoning my UBD nurse later on when the telephone clinic is open.
Iv got a feeling she's going to ask to see me. Anyway, I'm not eaten properly since then so I have a feeling that if I go in they are going to say have ensure/modulin. Well they all make me feel sick so I'm going to be brave and say NG tube.
I just wanted to no your experiences with having them put in as that's what I'm really worried about. And anything else about them.

Thanks
Kate, 17y/o

 

[afidz]

Hey, sorry your not feeling well
I don't know anything about the NG tube but I wanted to share with you why ensure makes you feel sick. Its bad for us! Well, most of them anyway. It contains an ingredient called Carageenen. Its a natural preservative derived from boiled down seaweed. For normally people this ingredient is great. For us it can cause digestional upset and it can aid in disease progression. There is a ton of information on it on here but here is a direct link to the wiki article written about it
http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Carrageenan?page=2#post642792
I hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[lizbeth]

Hi Nellie, welcome to the forum .

I don't have any experience of tubes but you've come to the right place to find out. Please don't be worried about it though.

Did you call your nurse? If so what's happening? I hope you are getting looked after. Really hope you feel better very soon, take care and big hugs. :ghug::ghug:

 

[nellie456]

Hi. I had to go and see consultant yesterday and he said he would have to talk to other doctors to see what to do. He phoned back this morning and i need to go in for a feeding tube next week and stay in for 3-5 days. They don't think treatment is working for me so I may need a small operation.

 

[lizbeth]

Well that's good that they are taking care of you, how do you feel about the hospital stay? What day do you go in?

 

[nellie456]

I really don't like the idea of the hospital stay, think because of the experience last time, no bed on the right ward so was put on the one next to it, had hardly no sleep what so ever and the nurses didn't no alot about crohns coz i was on the wrong ward.
They are going to get a bed for Tuesday.

 

[Amy2]

Watch a couple videos online, first, so you know what to expect. I wish we had done that.

 

[nitty]

Hi!

I used to have a good knack for putting NG tubes in.

The thing that makes it so uncomfortable for people is when the person inserting it tries to push it UP the nostril. The tube should really be held pointing towards the back of the nose (i.e. almost at 90 degrees to the face) and then it is easier for it to bend round the back of the pallet. If you look at a picture of the anatomy of the nose you will see why this is, but I used to see far too many nurses failing to get NG tubes into patients who were very narked off and with eyes streaming!
The patient should then say when they feel the tube at the back of their throat. At this point they should take a mouthful of water and swallow it at the same time as the tube is pushed further in, so the tube safely follows the water down the oesophagus and not into the trachea.

If anyone tries to force the tube up your nose, tactfully say it feels more comfortable if they change the angle that they are using!

 

[lizbeth]

Hopefully this hospital stay will be a better experience than the last one, fingers crossed . The other posts gave some good advice about familiarizing yourself with the insertion process before. I hope it all goes well for you on Tuesday, will be thinking about you, take care. :ghug: