have a NJ feeding tube, now even more terrified.

[alls]

So i have a disorder called Gastroparesis, which made me need a NJ feeding tube long term to ease my pain and N* from eating and to gain weight back.( tube goes thru my nose down past my stomach into my small intestines) even before i got GP i was extremely scared to v*. My illness has caused that to multiply like crazy. GP causes stomach flu like symptoms everyday for me, i am usually n* a lot but take zofran a lot.
BUT
two days ago i had to go to urgent care to get an xray done to check my tubes placement, and a little kid V* in a bucket right in front of me in the waiting room, i think i was wearing a mask at that point but cant remember, and i always am a handwashing freak...but still I am literally counting down the hours to see if i get sick now in terror. Having this NJ makes it so much worse because if i V* alot or too hard, i can v* up my tube and that scares me even more.
If you get the virus, will zofran stop the main V* from it?
Anyone had experiences with nasal feeding tubes?
How long should i worry about catching what that kid had?

[emet-ana]

Hi NJ,

That sounds incredibly hard. No wonder you struggle with this. If the child vomited into a bucket and you weren't next to the spray then it's very likely that you won't catch anything. Then add to this that he might have got appendicitis or another condition rather than a s.v. and even if it was a virus it may have been rotavirus which only really affects children. Anyway if he did have noro and you caught it then you would most likely show symptoms in 24-48 hours, 72 hours at most.

Zofran probably would prevent you from v* even if you caught an infection- it's quite a strong anti-emetic, used for chemotherapy induced emesis. If you were sick despite it then you could perhaps go to urgent care because you have a particular medical condition and they could give you a drip/IV with a combination of anti-emetics. Also perhaps you could talk to your GP and ask which would be the best anti-emetic for this sort of situation?

xx

[Cynna]

Yes and no. My son had a NJ in the NICU. He later had a GJ into his tummy. At one point they had the food empty into the intestine due to his condition. (Microgastria) Eventually he got a mickey button. If you are going to have it long term, ask about a mickey button. It is on the tummy. You may or may not need a dressing under it. It is a small button that you can close when not in use. It is easy to change. There is a balloon that you inflate once you put the tube in to keep it in place. You can not really see it under clothes. You just attach the feeding tube to mickey. I do not know if it would work for you or not, but it may be worth asking about. We have had to do the placement thing when he took out his NJ in the hospital and also when he took out his gj at home. I once put it back in and somehow got it in place with no xray or med training.

If you ever get a clog in the tube either Sprite or club soda with a little lime with help clear it. Flushing out tubing helps prevent clogging. My son's formula would clog a lot. It would set off the alarms on his Kangaroo feeding pump.

You would have been real close to the kid. The kid prob had rota or something else. You are immune to rota since you are an adult

[alls]

cynna, thanks Im sorry your son has to go thru all that as well.
Ive had my NJ for almost 2 months now, its my long trial before getting a J tube eventually. And believe you me it clogs like crazy!!!! Atleast 1-4 times a day. luckly i found out after a month that its the formula that im on causing it, so i switched and been using a 3ml syringe and it works way better. Im sure you know it gets annoying when the pump alarm sounds off at 2am and you have to spend hours unclogging it lol.
did he ever V* up his NJ?

emet-ana: thank you, so far this is almost at 72 hr mark and i think i might be good, i sprayed everything down with lysol pretty good, the only problem is that my husband thinks im insane half the time and hes more the *who cares* type person, and getting him to even wash his hands properly is like pulling teeth. So if i would get it now its totally his fault..Grrrr. Only problem is that i can never tell if im getting a "normal person" illness or if its just my normal sickness. i always feel abdominal pain and N* anyways..haha suuuucks.

[Cynna]

I do not think he ever v... when he had the tube in his nose.