Unplugged

Warning:  There is some "Ewww" factor in this post so read at your own risk.

I've been having problems with my J-tube.  I've been watching the 10 inches or so of tube that  protrudes from my belly become lined on the inside with tiny globs of food formula.  They did not seem to wash through with water pressure from a syringe.  Dr. Scott suggested that Coca Cola had been known to eat them away so I tried a Coke flush a couple weeks ago.  It really only made those globs a darker shade of beige.

And then few days back, I was getting some cramping pains directly below the protrusion spot.  Shortly after, I noticed that the hole that the tube comes through, sort of an "inny" belly button, was becoming to become irritated.  I felt kind of sick too.  A white collar formed and the skin around it became red and very sore.  I suspected an infection.  It was Saturday and so I waited it out until Monday morning to call my Doctor's office.  They agreed that it should be looked at and made an appointment for me to come in Tuesday (today) at 2:00pm.

Monday night, after dinner, I hooked up the food pump as usual, being extra careful handling the tube as my belly was very sore.  I decided to go down to the basement to watch a little storm coverage.  Now I've always wondered what the tube looked like inside my body and was curious how long it extended in order to reach my jejunum. (The "J" in J-tube).  I knew that there was a balloon on the inside of my body cavity that prevented it from pulling out. While focusing on the belly side of the tube, I ignored the long tube that stretches to the food pump that I had strapped in a backpack hanging from my shoulder.  I managed to step on it while going down the stairs and felt a painful tug.  I was a bit surprised to discover the balloon was now on the outside.  The tug had been strong enough to pull it through.  The rest of the tube, about 4 inches, came out easily, followed by a small stream of ping-tinged fluid.  I grabbed a handy paper towel and plugged the hole and went back upstairs to ring the Lacks doctor on call.

In the picture (above), I am holding the valve where the pump plugs into the J-tube through a another long tube (the one I stepped on) that attaches through that blue rubber junction.  I normally tape it up good so that it remains attached while food and water is being pumped.  You can see the amber colored balloon, which is normally on the inside and if you look carefully, you can see the clear, rubber stopper which is normally on the outside.  (See picture below taken by Alice Peterson on October 9, if you dare.)

Since I'm showing you the bare essentials anyway, note the lump midway between my chin and my right nipple.  That's my "port" where chemotherapy drugs enter my bloodstream.  You can see the incision scar above my belly button where my stomach was pushed through my diaphragm.  If you look carefully you can see the laparoscopic poke holes where my stomach was disconnected from the tissues that held it in place.  Harder to see is the neck scar (my left, your right) where my esophagus was extracted and my stomach was lassoed, and pulled up and attached to what was left of the esophagus.  You can also see that I have room to improve my ab muscles and develop my six-pack.

My 2:00 medical appointment will now be about whether The J-tube needs to be re-inserted in addition to establishing whether there is some infection going on.  But I have to say that it feels GREAT to have that miserable tube gone.  The tenderness is gone too.  It feels much better in general.  Of course the downside of not having the tube re-inserted is that I will lose a bunch more weight.  That nightly pump ritual keeps at at a normal, proportional weight for my height and gives me energized mornings.  For now, all my sustenance must pass through my tiny stomach in my chest cavity.  Every meal is small and each one sits there at the top of my diaphragm for a half hour giving me an uncomfortable gut ache.  Meals are just no fun.  Everything is a trade off.  But for now, I am enjoying my naked belly and the lack of protruding rubber for the first time in 6 months.