Just briefly tell me you thoughts on gastric tube feeding.

Any experiences you want to share about g-tube feeding? What are your feelings about patients with g-tubes? Would you want a gtube if you would not survive without it because you could not eat? There are several pros and cons about gastric tubes. First of all, I think it would be more comfortable than a naso-gastric feeding tube since this tube would be placed on the face with tape to hold it in place. I also think the gastric tube is less obvious than other feeding tubes (NG tube), and this would help with not feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable with public attention. The cons are: it is a surgical procedure (so requires pain meds), g-tubes need to be vented to release gas from the stomach, they can clog, and redness around the stoma may occur. I have not had any experiences about g-tube feeding but I believe that each patients stage of illness needs to be considered before making a decision whether or not to have a G-tube placed. I do not think I would want a g-tube if I could not survive without it. It really depends on what my illness or condition would be, but if a g-tube was my only option to keep my heart beating, then I would rather die painlessly. I do not want to depend on a machine or any other equipment to keep me alive. In the future, my Advanced Directive will clearly state that I do not want to depend on machines to survive if I were in a vegetative state.