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Dismayed to Dismissive - Naso Gastric Tube Changing


If I remember correctly, it was in the first couple of months after our father got discharged from the hospital that he yanked out the ryles tube in the middle of the night.   Our stay-at-home nurse wasn’t trained enough to insert a new one.  I called some nurses from the hospital.  No answer.  Since both my sister and mother were as ignorant as I was, thought best to leave them sleeping.  

Having made lot of friends amongst patients’ families, called one such patient’s wife.   The only one I knew who would be awake at 2:00am. She assured me the procedure was easy, that she has done it herself and gave me instructions on how to do it.   Well, before I spoke to her, to my father’s great discomfort, I had just tried inserting it couple of times, not confident of the position, removed it.   After I spoke to her, inserted the ryles tube once again and sat looking at him all night hoping he wasn’t in any pain.   In the morning I felt as if I had performed a surgery.

All this was almost six months ago.  There were many such ryles tube changes over these months.  Last week got a call from another patient’s wife.   She wanted contact number for a nurse to come to over and change the ryles tube for her husband.   Knowing her trials with nurses exhorting money for smallest of tasks, volunteered to do it myself.  Went, changed and got back.  Only later some caution crept in.  Called her later to get assured her husband was doing alright.  He was.  Thank goodness!

Some videos on how to insert ryles tube: 

Some thing on the lines of how I do it. 


Something on the lines of how a professional does it. 

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