Friends vs Doctors

I didn't go to the market today because I had been in so much pain yesterday, and woke up still in terrible pain! I was in agony! It was all because of my BLOODY G-TUBE! I hate that thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Thank god it's being removed on Tuesday ...)  I could (and still can) feel the tube rubbing constantly between my ribs. Also, at the G-tube site, below my left breast, there's been this thing protruding from the hole and it keeps getting bigger and bigger and more painful. It's been like this for three weeks.

I've had the nurse from CCAC look at it, sent pictures of it to my family doctor, and showed it to her substitute as well. They said, "Yup, that's normal. It's just skin growing." But none of them gave me any helpful hints on how to keep it from hurting. 

Today, however, my new employee Alison, who also works for my friend Jenny, texted Jenny about this problem. Alison and I knew that Jenny once had a G-tube herself. 

This is the information Jenny texted to Alison about my problem:

She has granulation tissue and a bit of purulent discharge.

The red raised stuff is called granulation, it hurts a ton. Like a ton!

You can use silver nitrate, alum (the pickling spice) in a paste, or steroid creams/diaper rash creams to shrink it.

You can use those things, on that red tissue, and it will make it shrink and go away.  You can also use a bit of Emla or lidocaine cream on it/around it to ease some of the pain. 

Stabilizing the tube can help too, so keeping it secured and moving the least you can.

Yeah, it's totally normal. That red tissue is formed when the stomach is trying to heal itself. It's not at all dangerous. Just really painful but it can be treated and the lidocaine can help a ton. Good luck and let me know if I can do anything else.

 
It sure is more information than any of the "professionals" had given me. Thank you Jenny!  I'm in far less pain than yesterday since I took your advice.

This whole situation has made me wonder, what if before doctors did procedures they could refer people to a networks of patients who have had those same procedures. That way people could get a firsthand experience from the person who has already had the procedure. Yes, I know doctors would absolutely hate everything about that, but idealistically, I like the concept. Unfortunately, we all know that our medical system is neither user-friendly nor practical.