Hi Donna. Feeding tubes are simply tools to be used... if needed. For me, as I was being diagnosed, I could barely swallow. So they popped in a J tube right away... I was still 3 weeks away from the start of my chemoradiation treatments. But as my treatments started I could not swallow a tiny sip of water. So... without a feeding tube, I would have died. Hydration and calories are important for getting thru treatments... and then surgery.

But many are swallowing just fine as treatments approach... so, if a J tube is not needed, no reason to get one. And usually (not always) the ability to swallow only improves as treatments go forward. Nice! Your J tube can sit idle if not needed, just push a bit of water thru it maybe twice a day to be sure it stays clear. My treatments opened up my esophagus nicely a few weeks in... I did not use my J tube for the last 6 weeks leading up to surgery. Of course the day after surgery I was back using it... and had it removed 4 months later. It pops out in 30 seconds in the doctors office. But both the patient and doctor should agree its now time to come out... the patient's weight is stable, enough is coming in by mouth.

Now... even though J tube surgery is usually just an overnight stay procedure... it is still surgery, and must be done by a competent surgeon. I've seen a few of these botched... not correctly installed into the jejunum... not properly secured at the surface (stoma)... some not even inserted into the right section of intestines!

Now, even if this surgery is done perfectly, it doesn't mean the patient's J tube feedings will go smoothly. Most are just fine... maybe the patient has to adjust the feed rate to see what works for them, day or night (for instance I could feed at 85 ml/hr during the day, but dialed it down to 70 ml/hr at night). Also, sometimes a patient has a reaction to certain feeds... so there are other brands out there that can be tried. But the key is getting these needed calories (500 cal/carton usually) in the patient. And adding water to the feeds can be helpful... thinning them out and adding much needed Hydration.

But yes, some of us seem to have more leaking out of the stoma... and out onto our tummy skin. But if done correctly, and proper surface suturing, the j tube should be secure and anchored inside the jejunum. And cleaning around the stoma every day or two, changing the gauze pads... important. Be well.

Gary