A feeding tube helps — it feeds through the stomach.
But it also changes how the entire body works.
Even when the surgery went well. Even when the skin healed
There is a hidden problem — a feeding tube always leaves a scar...
Not just one, but many.
Because the tube itself goes through the skin and across the abdominal layers underneath, interrupting their natural pathways of movement and postural support.
For all the benefits of the feeding tube, there are hidden costs that tend to grow over time as the body adapts around it.
This video explains how the body changes around the feeding tube passage and what unfortunate challenges might arise:
- Reflux or bloating that never fully settles
- Weight gain that stalls despite adequate feeding
- Less comfort when sitting or being upright
- Shallow or effortful breathing
- More tension, effort, and fatigue — without an obvious reason
From many parents we hear more or less the same message:
“The feeding itself improved, which is great — but a lot of other things now feel somewhat off”
Sometimes it is burping, gas and reflux that should have improved, but didn’t.
Sometimes it's a body that fels stiffer despite the lesser feeding struggle.
Other times it's just an additional discomfort in sitting or when being upright, unexpected crying and arching, etc.
If any of this sounds familiar and you can't find a clear explanation, then you need to look closer to the tube relating scarring.
This short questionnaire helps you check whether your child’s current discomforts match the commonly observed after-effects of unresolved tube-related scarring.
Based on three decades of clinical experience working with children with severe cerebral palsy and adults after stroke, we created a simple 10-question reflection to help families recognize these patterns more clearly.
Tube Feeding Made Better (TFMB) is an educational, home-based program for PEG / G-tube families, focused on comfort, breathing, and abdominal function.
