Question:
Are you awake when they put the NG tube in?

My surgery is this coming Wed. and I am not nervous about surgery....I'm nervous about the NG tube!!! I know I will have it when I wake for only about 24 hours, but are you asleep when they put it in? I dont think I could handle being awake or even sedated while they put it in!!!!    — emilyfink (posted on June 8, 2002)

June 8, 2002
It's done during your surgery - Good Luck !!!
   — Ken H.

June 8, 2002
you will be asleep when they put it in
   — paula B.

June 8, 2002
My open RNY is scheduled for Friday, June 14th and I had my preop on June 3rd. I will be having my surgery at Bariatric Treatment Centers in Wylie, TX with Dr. Idhe. I asked the nurse this same question and she said they don't use ng tubes because they don't give you anything to drink but ice chips for the first couple of days. I loved that, because that is the one thing I was worried about. Good luck.....
   — Brenda Kay U.

June 8, 2002
When I woke up after surgery I had an ng tube down my nose, a drainage tube coming out of my stomach area, an IV in my neck, and (I am told) I got the Greenfield blood clot filter. I also had a catheter for urine. All of it was put in while I was in surgery and I was not aware of it. None of it hurt at all. Maybe because I felt like a drunken sailor for most of the time in the hospital but I was not in much pain (wow did pushing that pain pump help me survive without too much pain!). By the time I went home three days later I needed NO PAIN MEDS during the day. I only used pain medincine for the first four nights at home, then NONE! With all of these things I felt kinda strange but NOT IN PAIN. All in all it was much easier than I feared, I did all that worry for nothing! FEAR NOT!
   — Grace M.

June 9, 2002
Don't worry, they do it while you are asleep. I had my NG tube for about 2 days, and I was so doped up on morphine that I really don't remember much when they took it out. However, when I awoke in recovery I still had a tube down my throat that I didn't expect to be there. Of course, I started to panic and gag on the thing, which caused immense pain in my abdomen. I remember the nurses telling me to relax and not to chew on the tube. Yeah right! Relax?!?!? So I think they knocked me out and later when I woke up the tube was gone. It was definitely one of the worst parts about this whole surgery. When I went in to have my gallbladder removed a few weeks later, I was very specific about not wanting to wake up again with that tube in my throat, and thankfully it was gone when I woke up. Good luck on your surgery. I'm sure everything will go fine.
   — Christine L.

June 9, 2002
Just one more answer to re-assure you... Mine was put in while I was OUT from surgery, woke up with it.
   — Elizabeth D.

June 12, 2002
I didnt ahve an N/G tube. My surgery was done In IL at the Wish Center. I am anurse tho and if they are gonna put it in it will be in surgery
   — Patty J.