Anika-
A G-tube is great when it gets to the point that you need one. It helps with nutrition and weight gain sometimes that can lead to healthier lungs since you will have more behind you to fight off infection.
I tried the NG tube and just could not do it. It was too difficult trying to swallow a tube and even think about being comfortable to sleep.
The G-tube surgery is painful. They basically sedate you then cut a hole in your stomach and thread the tubing through your throat and out the hole in your stomach.
The reason it is so painful is because you use your stomach muscles for everything, including holding yourself up. For a while after the surgery I was dependent on my parents to help me lay down, and sit up, and after a full day of school, I couldn't hold myself up anymore. So it is not the easiest surgery, but the pain does go away if managed correctly and it doesn't last for too long.
Make sure that once you do get it, you still make all attempts to eat as much as possible and don't just rely on the feeding tube for nutrition.
Some Pros and Cons:
Pro: I ended up gaining 20 pounds in the first few months
Con: I ended up losing that weight when I became very ill
Con: I needed to continue to use the feeding tube to simply maintain my weight
Pro: It definitely kept me alive
Pro: makes it easier when you aren't feeling well and you do not lose weight as quickly when you catch an infection
Con: I had a hole in my stomach which made me very self conscious
Con: it leaked and burned my skin
Pro: It kept me alive
Con: I threw up many a morning after coughing attacks
Con: Its smelled
Pro: it kept me alive
You see the general theme of my post here. I would say I overall hated having the feeding tube in, but i needed it to stay alive. So I dealt with it. Just being as honest as I can on this one as I still have mixed feelings toward the feeding tube. And I will say, besides the day I got my transplant, getting the feeding tube removed was definitely one of the happiest days of my life.
