My newest adventure involved my feeding tube, which allows food to be put directly into my stomach. The tube needs to be changed regularly and "they" say it's very easy and anyone can do it. Well, it still is scary and the first time we had it changed by the nurse at Clinic. Our previous caregiver, Sherry, had watched and had gone back to school to get her CNA II which allows her to change the tube. So she was eager to try. The nurse from the Care Agency makes bi-monthly reviews for the insurance company. We decided we would change the tube during her visit. All seemed to go well.
The next day, while our new caregiver Cindy was getting ready to feed me, we discovered the tube had come out! Before and after every feeding, the caregiver pours water into the tube to keep me hydrated. As Cindy was pouring the water, I could feel it running all over me. Given the atmosphere in our house, she thought I was kidding! Well, I wasn't. She and Dave were determined to put the tube back in themselves because they had both been shown how to do it. Meanwhile, poor Kari was stuck in the corner of the kitchen, really light-headed and not wanting to watch her mother in this situation, but she couldn't get past us to leave the room. Dave went to get another spare tube to see what the directions might say, and we realized why it came out. After insertion, a balloon is inflated inside my stomach with sterile water to hold the tube in place. The new tube was made by a different manufacturer and needed a greater amount of water. While Kari managed to make it to the couch without passing out, Dave and Cindy worked to replace the tube. It took a couple tries but when Dave got the right angle, it went right in. Then they re-inflated the balloon with the correct amount of water, and lunch could continue. Of course they were very proud of themselves, and Kari managed to regain her composure. For that day, the adventure was over.
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