Day 2, Tube #2

This morning I felt much better when Jenny & James gave me my antibiotics through my plug before Jenny left for work. I cried a little bit at first, but I didn't snarl or twist around.

When Jenny came home, she wanted to take some pictures of my plug so she could help me post them on this blog. I made a fuss when James lifted up my tank top and even tried to bite him! I think my stoma might be more sore now than it was this morning.

Before long James thought they might as well give me my antibiotics and get it over with. I growled and tried to slash at Jenny with my claws (unfortunately it looks like someone at MedVet trimmed them when I was under the anesthesia yesterday) but it hurt less than it did yesterday and I think Jenny was trying to be quick.

Just to make Jenny & James feel like they spent a bundle of money on a new feeding tube for nothing, I've been eating lots of kibble today and even drinking more water than usual. Pppthththbbbttt!

Day 1, Tube #2

June 4

Today Jenny dropped me off at MedVet on her way to work. They put me under, then a Dr. Hostutler endoscopically removed the inside-the-stomach bit of my old tube, made a small incision to widen my stoma, and inserted a new, low-profile PEG tube! It looks like the plug where you blow up a beach ball, so it only sticks out maybe a centimeter or so. Unfortunately, the incision made my stomach pull away from my abdominal wall a little, so they had to put in a couple of stitches, but I no longer have a 10-inch long tube coming out of my side that needs to be wrapped around, held in place by a tank top, and clipped to the tank top with a binder clip.

James picked me up in the afternoon. Luckily I did not have to wear an e-collar. They showed him how to put an extension tube into my plug, and I didn't like that. I'm still quite sore! I was also still a little woozy from the anesthesia.

When Jenny came home I was pigging out on kibble, even though they told James not to let me eat a lot. What could I do? I was hungry! Earlier in the day James took away my kibble and I actually ate some of Bucky's kibble. I never noticed how delicious it is before. I even ate a little of it after James brought my own kibble back out. Then James took up Bucky's kibble and neither of us could eat it. Sigh.

Tonight James & Jenny had to give me some antibiotics through my plug. The area around it is still swollen, oozy, and tender. I did NOT want them messing around with my plug! I tried to tell them this by growling, then snarling, and eventually biting, flailing about, and twisting around, but they still pressed that syringe into my tube. It hurt a lot. Jenny never saw me so upset! I guess it probably also hurt a lot when I got my first tube (it's hard to remember), but I was so sick I didn't have much fight in me at the time. But I do now!

I think Jenny & James felt pretty bad afterward (and rightly so). They may call about getting me some pain medication tomorrow. I got some after my first tube was inserted, but MedVet didn't send me home with any today (sadists!).

Day 400

June 3

Today my feeding tube came out. I'd like to take the credit, but I think it got caught on something when I was jumping down from a box. When James opened the bedroom door to let me out, I was tank-topless. Upon further investigation, he discovered that I was also feeding-tubeless. He retrieved my tube, packed me into my carrier, and swept me off to MedVet. He called Jenny on her cell phone (she was driving home from work) and she turned around and met us there.

The emergency vet we saw was named Dr. Lasher. She didn't think I was actually having an emergency, but she put in a phone call to another vet to consult. It wasn't Dr. Forman, because he was away at some internal medicine conference. Anyway, Dr. Lasher thought it would be a lot cheaper and maybe better medically to wait until tomorrow to replace my tube (when a vet more experienced with the procedure could do it). They clipped and cleaned my stoma, and sent me home without a feeding tube! I am still wearing a tank top, though, to keep my stoma clean. I feel so free!