10 Things to Know about G-Tubes

A G-Tube is a soft tube that goes from the outside of the stomach to the inside of the stomach.

Everyone’s body is different!

• Doctors may decide that some children need a G-tube to help them grow. A G-tube is one way to get vitamins and food.

It is not anybody’s fault.

• There is nothing that anyone did or did not do that makes someone need a G-tube.

It does not hurt when the G-tube is put in.

• Children go to surgery to get a G-tube. Before surgery, a child is given a special medicine that puts them into a deep sleep. This is a special sleep where the child does not hear anything, see anything or feel anything. It takes the doctors about 30 minutes to put the G-tube in place. Then, the child wakes up from the deep sleep.

It does not hurt to get fed through a G-tube.

• The food that goes in G-tubes looks different than food that can be eaten by mouth. G-tube food is all liquid. The liquid food goes right through the tube into the stomach like a straw.

Children with G-tubes can sometimes eat with their mouths too.

It is important to keep G-tubes clean!

• Children can get sick if their G-tube gets dirty or has germs. The G-tube should be cleaned during bath and shower time. Tell an adult if you ever see that the G-tube, or the skin around it, looks dirty.

Sometimes, children need a new G-tube.

• This is normal and does not hurt. This may be because the child has grown and needs a new size G-tube to match their body. A baby has a different size G-tube than an 8-year-old. An 8 year-old has a different size G-tube than a teenager.

A child may not need a G-tube forever.

• Doctors may decide that the child’s body doesn’t need a G-tube anymore.

G-tubes do not stop a child from being able to play!

• A child who has a G-tube can still do things other children do. The G-tube just needs to stay safe and clean.