I have G and J tubes due to having severe gastroperesis and I have had non stop problems with the J tube since recieving it in april. I know this sounds really nasty but my skin around it is very red and irritated, and it smells like rotting flesh and has an awful discharge, my gastro Dr. says that it is not infected, but I think otherwise, I'm going to go see a wound Dr., but I think part of the problem is my tube doesn't seal shut and the bile from my intestines is causing part of the problem, but he won't change the tube, what would you do, should I try to find a surgeon who will, has any one with J tubes ever had this problem. By the way my tube is a button it is not the tubes that actually have the extension attached mine come off.
Sorry to hear of your problems. I have a grandaughter with this, so it must be awful for you to have had the two tubes.
Forgetting that the tubes are there and concentrating on the skin. Normally if skin is red and very irritated, with a nasty smell and is angry (hot to touch), then this is normally a sign of infection.
I'm not very experienced when it comes to the J and G tubes, but I do know a few people who are from my support group, so I shall paste in here what they told me when I asked them a few weeks ago. Please remember the person isn't a dr or a nurse, just a mother with a son with a G tube who has learnt this along the way. I hope you find it helpful.
Ok Jan will do my best from my lessons learnt over the last 7 months .
Clean tube and site with cooled boiled water never wet wipes too strong
Use micropore to attach to tummy or something similar never elastoplast on a reel too sticky and makes a real mess
Use gauze to clean as cotton wool breaks up and in the early days can cause a small infection if any wool residue breaks off
In the earlier and sometimes later days the skin surrounding the site is prone to infection dont be afraid to get a swab done then antibiotics if needed ,I do the swab and drop it in gps
The skin around the tube also does a wierd thing called over granulation ,ie scabs too much and looks terriable do visit gp he gave us fucidin cream to apply daily and we still do keeps it very healthy and free from scabbing
If the tube gets a lot of tape residue stuck to it ask nurse for some medi swabs they are great and remove all the tape sticky
If the tummy gets a lot of sticky residue too ie not the skin directly around the tube but where you fix it it will also be removed with a swab just dont clean beneath fixation plate with it as it is too severe and will sting .But on healthy normal skin is ok then just bath skin as usual to remove medi swab smell
If the tube gets blocked or really yucky inside put some full sugar coca cola in and leave for half an hour comes up like new also grapefruit juice does the same but not as well ,you only need 15 mls or so
when in the bath if you can allow water to clean the fixation plate and screw end of tube oviosely when the child has healed and you have had the ok to bath ,bath water seems to loosen the scabbing I talked about
Well I cant think of any other tips I have been told but you will have lots of info and thease are only a guide we have been told and learnt from nurses along the way .
Oh 1 more we have found when swimming that tagaderm transparent dressing seem to be the best we get them from the gp ,it does not have to be water tight we have been told but generally they are and keep the germs out and the tube in 1 place
J tube problems 
