2Yr Old with G-Tube/Micky Button

I am always looking for other G tube moms but have had a lot of trouble finding them on this message board.
My Daughter is 14 months and had her G tube placed 3 months ago for FTT. She started to pull on it at diaper changes and in the bath etc. I only put her in "onesies" and clothes that are snapped so she does not have access to the button.
It takes the Docs about 1 year of none use of the G tube to allow for it to be removed. The want to be safe, rather than sorry! When they come out sometimes they will take the kids back to the OR to remove and stitch and in some cases the stoma will heal on it's own and not need any stitches.

Hello B.,
My son was born with a TE fistula which was repaired when he was a few hours old. The doctors were not sure about his swallowing abilities and he also developed severe reflux. For this reason, he had a Nissen and a Mickey button placed within a month. I have tons of tips that will be helpful, plus pictures. If you want, send me your email and I'll be happy to share my experiences with you. One cream that really helped out is called "CALMOSEPTINE" since it soothes the itching. Also, you may want to take a look at these sites where you can find several moms with g-tube children:
http://parent-2-parent.com/forum/index.php
http://www.shareyourstory.org/webx/.ef45342
As for taking it out, I decided to do it as soon as my son was eating 100% of his food by mouth. I did not wait because I think that leaving it on when it's no longer necessary makes it difficult to make the mind shift to start having a normal relationship with food. But I guess that depends on each case, though a year it too much by my standards. As for the closing, if the button is taken out before the child is a year old it closes on its own in 90% of the times. If the child is older when it is taken out, this percentage becomes 50%, therefore it is more likely it will need stitches.
Hope this helps!
Maria

The tube was placed there for a reason, of coarse the baby is going to play with it, just have to tell him no don't touch, it might itch so its important to keep up on the creams, for some reason the doc might still feel a need for it to be there, is there ?? he had some trouble eating at some point , be patient it could be still there just in case for now, to better gain the doctors attention when you make an appt, make it the last one the doctor see's for the day,you get so much more from them. If you really feel the tube can come out make an appt just for that and make sure they give you extra time with the doctors in case it does need a stitch.. your also in control of your child.

My son had a G-tube during his first year. He played with the g-tube, but left the mickey button alone. I agree with the other mom, who suggested keeping him in onesies, overalls, or other clothes in which he won't have access to the button. We had the G-tube taken out pretty quickly, but that required agreement from the pediatrician and putting a little pressure on the GI. It seemed easier to convince the GI to remove it once we stopped using the button completely, but my son continued to gain weight. Good luck!

Hi, my son had a G tube placed when he was 1 yr old. How long has your son had the G tube? I do recall him playing with it a bit when it was new, but then the fascination wore off and he left it alone. Not sure why your son had one placed in the first place, but I know my doctor was reluctant to remove just b/c easier to leave in then to have to place another one if it was needed later. We did use ours quite a bit though... and actually got to like it in regards to giving any meds etc. b/c my son had a really sensitive gag reflex. When my son was eating enough to maintain his weight on his own we still left the tube in for about 1 year...just to make sure he would not loose the weight he had gained with it. My son was not a premie...but born at 4.9 lbs, no diagnois or reason other than they called him a poor doer/ unthrifty baby. The tube helped him gain/ get caught up and worked great for us. When it would leak/ get red/ rashy...I just used A&D/ Desitin/ Diaper rash treatments to sort of waterproof/ protect that skin and that worked well. My son had his tube pulled about a year ago... the hole into his stomach closes very fast..no stitch at least in our case.... he will not be "leaking" around your house once the tube is pulled... in fact one year the balloon deflated and the tube fell out while he was napping... about 1 hour until I noticed it out... and it was already starting to close/ hard to get the tube back in! The entire hole has taken much longer to close completely...but he had it in for 6 years... it now looks like just a small diviot in his stomach. If you are truly sure that he does not need it anymore... then tell your doctors you would like to remove it.... he is your son... so you have that choice. Hope that helps. Cindy