Friday 22 October 2010

Changing my PEG button

For those not medically minded let me explain a few things about a peg button. My peg tub is 3cm long inside and then finishes with a balloon filled with water on the end. This water balloon is what holds it in my stomach and if anything happens to it and the balloon goes down, it has the potential to fall out of your stomach. If this happened to me, i promise you, i would be on the floor with it!! You have to check the water levels every week and the maximum it can be is 5ml. When i checked it on monday, it was only 1ml, so i filled it back up again. Soon after, I felt water in the hole of my stomach and my belly was damp around it. It bothered me all night so tuesday morning, i checked it again and it had gone back down to 2ml.

It took me an hour and a half to pluck up the courage to ring Lance and Jen as I knew what they would say. I had to come in to have my peg changed as they believed there may have been a leak somewhere. I was going up to the hospital on thursday to finish iv's anyway so we agreed to do it then. Until thursday, I put tape over my peg incase more water leaked out the balloon and tried not to think about it.

Thursday I just sat there all morning not talking, i could hardly eat and had a dodgy stomach - all of these were nerves. Me and mum went up the hospital for 3pm . I was a mess. I cried like a baby, was shaking lots and had to fight hard to control my breathing as i had what only can be described as a mini panic attack and found my breathing going way too fast that i nearly passed out. I wasnt allowed anything to calm me down. Other people can be given entinox (laughing gas) but because i had a partly collapsed lung when i had my port put in, entinox can make it more likely to happen again. Lance took down the balloon, took it out, put the other new one in and then filled the balloon up. Was done quickly but it did sting. I dont know if that is because its the first time ive had it changed?? It bled alittle afterwards but nothing drastic and when he took it out, belly juice came out too...ewwww!!

I fell asleep as soon as i got home and went to bed early as i was shattered. Am up bright and early today but am staying indoors to do jobs and then its the weekend!! woohoo!!

x Lots of love x

1 comment:

  1. Its understandable that you panicked after everything that has happened. Leaving it till Thursday didn't help as you had all that time to worry about! Sometimes it's best to get it done so you don't have time to stress! Glad it's sorted anyway xx
    Ps - next time try take some 'kalms' they are just herbal tablets but I find they can help me when I feel stressed! xx

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