Your doctor may have told you that you need an NG tube. Sometimes these tubes are needed if you are unable to maintain or gain sufficient weight, if you can’t eat, or if you won’t eat for any reason that is harmful to you. This is a tube that is placed up your nose, then goes down your throat and esophagus, and into your stomach. One end of the tube stays on the outside of you, and is usually taped to the side of your face and tucked behind your ear so that nothing catches the tubing that my accidentally cause it to come out.
What will the procedure involve?
You will be awake for this procedure, and will be given some water to drink after the nurse places the tube in your nose to take the tube into the stomach. The nurse may then take you for an X-ray to make sure that the tip of the tube is in the correct spot in your stomach. Your parents will be given education about how and when to give you feedings through the tube, and then you will be free to go home.
For further information about tube feeding, please see the Nutritional Support information of the website.