If you read the previous post, you know that James had a rough weekend. But through the stress of trying to get him stable, we did have one funny moment. James was due to have his g-tube button replaced so Stacy decided to change it on yesterday. He uses a Mic-Key button which is pretty easy to replace. The replacement button kit comes with directions, but at some point, I might put together a little tutorial on how to replace it. For now, I’ll just keep it to the basics.
To remove the old Mic-Key button, you need to remove the water from the balloon that holds the button in place. (The syringe to remove the water is included in the kit). Stacy had just removed the water from the balloon when James sneezed and had snot all over his face. She wiped off his face and gave him a little bit of suctioning. She went back to remove the button from his belly and it wasn’t there! It took her a few seconds to realize where it went. Because the balloon in the button didn’t have any water in it to hold it in place, when he sneezed, the button popped out of his stomach! Oops! Fortunately, she had the replacement all ready to go in so she quickly put it in and filled the balloon to keep it in place.
So, what did we learn? When changing his g-tube button, always keep one hand on the button in case he sneezes! This is also a reminder to check the water level in the balloon periodically to make sure it doesn’t randomly fall out.
