At midnight Wednesday night, in anticipation of Frank approving the procedure to put in the PEG, they stopped all of his tube feeding and fluid intake. A PEG (Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube) is a tube placed in the stomach to use for feeding and water until Frank can eat by mouth again. The G.I. doctor was supposed to come in the morning to go over the procedure and a time had already been scheduled on Thursday for the surgery. But by 10AM, no doctor, and the nurse came in and told us that the surgery will likely get bumped and the G.I. doctor doesn’t know when he will come by. We were pretty upset…At 3PM we were told the surgery wouldn’t happen that day. Finally Frank could get water and food through the tube in his nose (NG tube). At 4pm the water and food started!
The G.I. doctor finally came in around 8PM Thursday night. He explained the procedure of how they send a scope down through the mouth and into the stomach with which they can shine a little light through the stomach wall. The light helps them place the position of the PEG so they don’t poke through any intestines. Then they make a small incision and pop the tube in and inflate a little balloon on the inside to keep it in. Frank approved the procedure and the doctor said he would schedule the surgery in the morning. That meant Frank’s food and water would be stopping again at midnight!
Come morning, we learned that Frank was scheduled for surgery at 12:30pm and they came and gurneyed him away at 11AM. He procedure went smoothly and Frank is doing great, especially after some strong pain meds.
It is now Saturday, and we found out this morning that we can go home this afternoon as long as the PEG tube is working well. Yay! So hopefully later today you will be able to watch Frank on the CheroCam http://www.eroplay.com/webcam.html.
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