LIfe With A Leaky G-Tube: cummerbund

I can't recall if I mentioned in an earlier post that the g-tube surgeon suggested we lay Andi down at a 30 degree angle to give her the g-tube feeds, as the solution to keeping it from leaking.  I said that those instructions bicker with other things we are to be working on, such as oral feeds, sitting up -- which works stomach and back muscles, and increases neck strength.  That also doesn't stop the leak from the next two hours which Andi is either rolling around on the floor, or working on different therapies - such as, sitting up.  Frustrated and baffled that my lowly liberal arts college bachelor degree sees that this isn't a solution, yet this surgeon with all his medical school & residency, and years of experience...thinks that this solution is going to fly?  I may have blond hair, but I'm definitely far from dumb.  I ain't buying this solution, as it's not a viable solution to fix this leaky disaster.

It still leaks.

My mother-in-law & sister-in-law were talking and came up with an idea, what about a cummerbund?  While we were in the Bahamas, Poppa B & Ginga fashioned themselves a cummerbund using a receiving blanket, and then wrapped it in a long strip from a roll of sticky Velcro tape.  It worked, and they cut the amount of laundry considerably.  However, it was rather bulky, and probably too warm for summer.  Sadly, it did not stop the steam rolling Bean from the confines of pillow surrounded sanctuary on the floor.  Nothing can confine the Bean.  So, when we were back in Alabama, Ginga & I went to the fabric store and picked out all sorts of cute fabrics.  We bought some iron-on squares of velcro.  It seemed the perfect plan.  They looked super cute.  However, they did not hold back the flood, and with washing, the velcro would lose its stick.  We cut a receiving blanket in half, and that seemed to trim the bulk.  We went back to the sticky velcro tape belt.  Today, I went to the store and picked up a hand-held stitching machine and sewed some velcro onto strips of receiving blankets.  So far, it seems to be working.  It's not as cute as the fabric with multi-colored "doggas" on it, but, we're on our way to dryer days!!!  At least, that's our hope!

So, we won't be feeding Andi at 30 degree angles, that's just not realistic when we have so many other things to work on and accomplish.  Plus, it doesn't save us from post-feed leakage.  So, I wave my favorite finger at that suggestion with a sarcastic smile.  'uhm, yea-ah!'