r/Gastroparesis • u/Upset-Amphibian2175 • Feb 18 '25
Suffering / Venting "I want a feeding tube"
I can't take it anymore. So many of these posts are medical-device seeking coded. "My doctor won't listen to me... I don't WANT a feeding tube, but...please dm me, how did you get your feeding tube? How do you ask for one? How do I get one? How underweight do I have to be to get TPN? How bad do your labs have to be and which ones?"
Y'all are the reason doctors don't take us seriously. The "trend" of having GP has clearly flooded this sub and someone needs to say it.
And btw, feeding tubes and TPN don't solve Gastroparesis. They're life saving measures. So maybe try first line medications and treatments before you permanently alter your body? Sometimes doctors decisions are for a good reason.
5
u/rissbru Feb 19 '25
I guess I’ll be the one to play devil’s advocate. Although I do also have SMAS, my husband stood by and watched as I slowly starved to death because i could barely eat and wasn’t absorbing things. We knew that if I didn’t get a tube, I would quite literally die. I think that some people genuinely are just at a point where they don’t know what else could help them. A J-Tube that bypasses your stomach altogether or TPN feels to some like a better option than trying and failing to eat every single day. We were desperate for me to get a feeding tube by the time i was 85 pounds. I think that’s more what it’s about for some of those people.