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!).