Food Tube Outta Here on Wednesday

Or so we certainly hope!

I'm scheduled to have the PEG food tube removed this coming Wednesday at 2:15 PM. And have it removed by the same surgeon who installed it back in late June. (It only seems like I've had it for most of my adult life...)

I haven't used the tube for nourishment for well over a month now, but the suggestion was made by my radiation doc -- who's a wonderfully cautious fellow -- that we leave the tube in place until after the PET/CT scan that was recently completed and described right here in the blog. Leave it in place just in case I might need it again if the scan were not so positive. So the scan came up clean, and the tube's days were numbered.

He also wanted to make sure that I could keep my weight up without using the tube. It's been something of a struggle to do it, but I have put on a couple of pounds since I stopped using the tube. And the radiation doc has been very pleased at this.

And while the installation of the food tube was a surgical procedure complete with full anesthesia and an overnight hospital stay, the removal is a procedure to be performed in the doctor's office. Hmmm...

Now I really don't understand how this is going to work. I've asked the surgeon on two occasions how the tube removal takes place, and he says, in essence, "Well, we just kind of pull it out." So I ask him, "No stitches or anything to close the openings in my abdomen and stomach?" And he says, in essence, "Nope, not needed. Everything just kind of closes up on its own."

Wow.

The tube was an an absolute Godsend when we were using it. As reported in earlier postings, I simply could not take nourishment orally for six weeks or so. But since then, it's been something of a hassle, requiring special care and handling while showering, and recommended cleaning -- inside and out -- on a daily basis. Deb has been an absolute champ at helping out with all this -- from the assistance in feeding back then (six cans of Jevity a day, every day for weeks on end) to the everyday cleaning needed from then until how (which is a bit icky to say the least).

Having this artificial contrivance sticking out of my tummy carries a certain psychological burden. It just feels... wrong. And makes me feel somehow less than fully human. And I will be glad to see the tube go away. And I will be glad to take a shower without the fear of dislodging the thing while I'm soaping up. And there is a list of things I will feel comfortable doing again -- once the healing has taken place.

It feels like a major step in getting back to being a full-time Randy.