Peg tube to a Mickey tube

Don's New Mickey Tube 7/22/11 

Last week Don went to the VA spinal clinic for his check up and to finally get his peg tube changed to a mickey tube. He was excited about this because getting the mickey would give him more dignity, no more huge bump sticking out from under his clothes, and no more shaving his belly so he could tape the tubing to his belly, no more skin infections or oozing ( his tube did this constantly) but the change came at a price.

Don's peg tube change was without full sedation, conscious sedation, or pain killers, he had his pegtube yanked out of his belly and "IT HURT"!! not to mention he did not like seeing any blood, Don almost told them to stop!!!!He has bulbar ALS so they do not like to sedate bulbar patients at any time unless needed. He will have to have his mickey replaced in 6 months.

UPDATE DEC 15TH 2011 Don has had ongoing problems with his mickey, it started off with secretions leaking around the tube, hospice gave him a medication to lower the acid level in his stomach content & this seems to haved helped for some time. Then he developed constant bleeding around his mickey and this has continued the whole time, last sunday it was bleeding enough for me to call a nurse to come and see him, the outcome is his mickey will have to be renewed, his body is trying to constantly reject & grow new skin around the mickey.

UPDATE DEC 19th 2011 well the veterans hospital is trying to fit him in to have his mickey tube changed as the leaking is still happening.

UPDATE: Mickey tube changed just before xmas!
Mickey tube changed thank the good lord above, this is Don's third tube, his new tube still secrets discharge around the outside of the mickey, we have learned to cope with it, according to the nurses ongoing discharge around the tube is standard but I know other ALS patients who have no discharge!