G-Tube or J-Pratt???????

Ok been reading on some forums. I have heard people talk about the G-Tube. I know what it is. I had to have surgery a few years ago and had a J-Pratt (I think that is what it was called) in for infection. My surgery was an emergency surgery for a ruptured colon. I was wondering what the G-tube was and what it was used for? Is it to help you get protein or keep infection out? How long is it in for and where is it at? Just doing my research. Thanks Cindy Oh yea, is it painful to take out? I know that I am not a screamer, but when they took out the J-Pratt, the whole hospital heard me screaming. That had to be more painful then the surgery.

A gtube is a gastrostomy tube. It is usually used when someone will not eat, is not able to eat(due to swallowing issues, severe nausea, stroke, etc). It goes int the stomach wall, usually across from the belly button. They do an egd (a scope down the throat) to find placement and poke a hole, kinda like piercing an ear and thread the tube. The tube itself is a little like what goes inside you when you have a catheter (thin and rubbery). When you are done using the tube they deflate a little baloon and it pulls out of the stomach, the hole usually heals within a few days. I don't believe they use these regularly after WLS unless you can't eat. I think usually after surgery you have a jp drain to drain out fluid that collects in the abdomen.

ok that explains alot. But with the G-tube, how does it work? Do you feed it or is there a certain way that stuff gets in to it?

It has a opening that has like a little stopper. You use a great big thing that looks like a syringe without a needle. You stick the end of this into the tube and pour whatever you are supposed to feed with, ensure, boost, etc, into the syringe. This will slowly drain into the stomach and then you flush the tube with some tap water. Really easy to do, I've taught lots of patients how to do this at home.

They took my g tube out at my 3 wk post op visit. It didn't hurt. Kind of made me queasy lol but it wasn't bad.

So does everyone get a G-Tube? And do you still drink your protein and stuff?

I had 2 tubes when I woke up from surgery. One was just a drain. It might not actually be called a G Tube. Not sure. One drain had a bottle on the end of it that drained out old blood and fluids from my old stomach. I chose to have open rny instead of lap. Dr Shina gave me a choice and I chose open. I don't know if everyone gets a tube with a bottle or not. I'm 2 yrs out and yes, I still drink my protein. Not every day or 2x a day but some. I love my protein. I get Body Fortress Chocolate Whey at Walmart and mix it with ho****er, splenda, and sometimes a teas of coffee. Its like a cappacino. Hugs Ange

I don't think you get an actual g-tube unless you can't eat. I think what everyone does have is a jackson-pratt or a jp drain. It has a long tube with a little bulb at the end that collects the drainage from the wound. A gtube is used only for feedings and meds, and in some (very few) cases it will be used to suck out the stomach contents when a pt is nauseated or has cancer and builds up too much bile.

Thank you all so much. I am glad to know the difference. I knew what a jp drain was cause I had one when I was in the hospital in Somerset. My colon ruptured and they had to do emergency surgery, they put a jp drain in. And oh man when they pulled it out. It was worse then the surgery, the pain of removing it caused me to scream and I can tolerate pain to a point. But that was a horrible pain when they removed it. Did it hurt like that with anyone else?