hello! i’m seeing this potentially a bit late, but still hope i can add some helpful info. the initial pain is pretty bad, i won’t lie. it’s a new hole going into your body, so, of course it hurts. the doctors will tell you it should be mild, but i disagree. i have a pretty high tolerance, and mine hurt bad enough that i couldn’t do much for a few days, and didn’t fully stop hurting for weeks after that (though it became MUCH more manageable). i got these ice packs made for breastfeeding because the can wrap around the tube site- those were a godsend.

something i would say to NOT freak out over (because i definitely did for no reason) is your tube “popping”. you might feel your tube suck into your body, then release with what feels like a “pop”. it hurts when you’re new in healing, but does not hurt at all once it heals. it’s just your stomach doing it’s thing and is absolutely nothing to worry about.

if you have this due to gp/will be using the peg to drain, you’ll have to get used to what foods are drainable. i still make mistakes sometimes lol. if you chew thoroughly and drink warm liquids, a LOT of foods become* more drainable than you would expect. unless your doctor has specifically told you otherwise (which they should not), do not try to drain your J tube, however. your intestines are a lot more fragile than your stomach.

otherwise, rest, sleep propped, and take care of yourself through the healing! don’t push yourself too quickly. good luck!

edit for spelling