Don: A couple of weeks ago Karen was going to need a CT of her tummy and digestive area and they needed her to be clear as possible. That means she had to drink Go Lightly. A whole gallon. There was really no way she was going to be able to drink the amount they wanted her to have. She asked for an NG tube so they could put it into her belly without having to swallow it. Good thing she went that route because the one gallon the first night was not enough. She had to do it again the next night to be ready for the procedure.

A couple of days ago I got to see the NG tube in action (sort of) again but this time it was for evacuating the tummy as she currently has an obstruction just pass the belly. Pressure was building up so much that each morning she would throw up and then would feel better. Her little tummy was really distended because it was not relieving her of all the discomfort. Another good use of an NG tube.

You might think that they are simple and foolproof. They almost are. The biggest problem, especially for evacuating, is that the tube must be the right distance into the tummy. They measure from the nose to the ear and then down to the tummy on the outside and use that as a guide. After placement they pump some air into the tube using a big syringe and listen to see if they hear bubbles in the tummy. Then they hook you up to the suction device and see what happens. If it doesn’t completely place well, then they get an xray and put in a little more or pull it out some. Let’s just say that the first night it didn’t work well, the next day and night weren’t much better and on the next day they pulled out the first tube to put in a bigger tube. Things started moving, then stopped. They did an xray and found they weren’t deep enough. 15 cm needed to go in. Started working, then stopped. Finally did another xray and found out that the hose was too long and looped up and must have pinched off. Pulled it out a little and things started working real well!

Wait! We aren’t done yet. During the early morning hours the tube came out of the tummy and out to the throat area. We had to push it back in. At least they had a mark on the tube so they knew where to put it without having to get an xray. Karen is understandably in a lot of discomfort in her nose and throat from all of this in and out movement of the tube. She does feel better in regards to the pressure though.

That wasn’t too much information for you all, was it? Prayers for comfort today please. She really needs an easy day after so many in a row of discomfort.