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Feeding jejunostomy after esophagectomy: what the tube is for, how to use it at home, and when it comes out | CION Cancer Clinics
A feeding jejunostomy is a soft tube placed through the skin of the belly into the small bowel during an esophagectomy. It feeds you while the new join in the chest heals and while eating by mouth is still slow. It is temporary. It comes out once you can hold your weight on food alone. This page explains how feeds work at home, what can go wrong, and the two problems that need same-day care. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What is a feeding jejunostomy, and why do I have one?
- What does a tube feed at home actually involve?
- What can go wrong with the tube, and what do you do?
- Tube feeding and eating by mouth, compared
- Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
- When does it come out, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about the feeding tube
The short answer
What is a feeding jejunostomy, and why do I have one?
A feeding jejunostomy is a thin, soft tube that goes through the skin of the belly directly into the small bowel. It is put in during the esophagectomy so that you can be fed while the new join in the chest heals and while eating by mouth is still slow. It is a bridge, not a replacement for eating.
Why the surgeon puts it in during the operation
After the food pipe is removed and the stomach is pulled up to replace it, the join needs time to heal before it takes a full meal. In the early days you may swallow very little, and later you will eat far less than your body needs. The tube carries liquid feed past the join, straight into the bowel, so you keep getting protein and calories while the mouth catches up.
Where it sits and how it feels
The tube comes out of the skin on the left side of the belly, below the ribs, held by a stitch or a small dressing. Most people say it is strange rather than painful. You can wash, walk, sit up and sleep on your side with it in.
Not everyone gets one. Some teams use a tube through the nose instead, or none at all. That is a choice your surgeon made for your situation, not a sign of anything.Day to day
What does a tube feed at home actually involve?
Wash hands and set up
Hands washed, feed at room temperature, and the person sitting or propped up at an angle. Lying flat during a feed can cause reflux, and the new food pipe has no valve to stop it.
Flush with water
A syringe of clean water goes down the tube before the feed. This clears it and checks it is running freely. If water will not go in, do not force it. Stop and call the team.
Run the feed
The feed goes in slowly, either by a pump over several hours or by gravity from a bag. Speed matters. Too fast into the small bowel causes cramps, sweating and loose motions, the same dumping that can happen with meals.
Flush again and cap
Another syringe of water afterwards, then the cap goes on. Medicines that the pharmacist says can go down the tube are given as liquid, one at a time, with a flush between each.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistCaring for the tube
What can go wrong with the tube, and what do you do?
Most problems are small and fixable at home. Two are not, and those are in the box below.
The skin around it
Clean daily with boiled and cooled water, dry gently, and keep the dressing as the ward showed you. A little pinkness is normal.
Call the team if you see
- Spreading redness or heat
- Pus or a bad smell
- Feed leaking out around the tube
A blocked tube
Usually caused by a crushed tablet or a feed that was not flushed. Try warm water with gentle push and pull on the syringe. Never use a wire, a pin or fizzy drinks.
If it stays blocked, it may need to be replaced. Call rather than keep pushing.Loose motions or cramps
Most often the feed is running too fast or is too cold. Slow the rate, let the feed reach room temperature, and tell the dietitian. Do not stop feeding altogether without asking.
Feeling full or bloated
Common in the first weeks, especially if you are also starting to eat by mouth. Feeding overnight and eating by day is the usual answer, so the two do not compete.
Ask about
- Splitting the feed into shorter runs
- A different feed if wind is the problem
!
Two things that cannot wait
If the tube comes out, or slides out much further than it was, do not push it back in. Cover the site with a clean dressing and go to the hospital the same day; the track can close within hours. And if there is severe belly pain, a swollen hard belly, fever or vomiting during or after a feed, stop the feed and go the same day. Feed leaking into the belly instead of the bowel is rare but serious, and it is treated far more easily when it is caught early.
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Side by side
Tube feeding and eating by mouth, compared
Feeding through the tube
Eating by mouth
Reliable calories and protein, whatever your appetite that day
Depends on how much you can manage, which changes day to day
Usually run overnight so the day is free
Small meals every two to three hours through the day
Bypasses the new join completely
Uses the join, which is the point of the operation
Can be scaled down as eating improves
Scaled up slowly, texture by texture, with the dietitian
Comes out once you can hold your weight on food alone
Stays for life, and gets easier over the first year
Commonly believed
Four things families tell us, and what is actually true
"A tube means the operation did not go well."
The tube is placed during the operation, before anyone knows how recovery will go. It is planned support, not a rescue. Going home with it is the normal pathway in many centres.
"Once he starts eating we can stop the feeds."
Eating a few spoons of upma is not the same as meeting the day's needs. The feeds are reduced step by step as the dietitian sees weight holding steady on food. Stopping early is the commonest reason weight falls sharply in the second month.
"Home food through the tube is better than packet feed."
Blended dal or rice water blocks a narrow jejunostomy tube and can carry infection into the bowel. The packet feed is sterile, balanced and thin enough to flow. If cost is the worry, say so; there are cheaper options.
"The tube will hurt the join if we use it too soon."
The tube enters the bowel well below the join and does not touch it. That is exactly why it is used in the first days, when the join must be left alone. It protects the join rather than straining it.
Being straight with you
When does it come out, and what can this page not tell you?
It comes out when you can hold your weight on food alone, and not before. For most people that is some weeks after going home; for some it is longer, especially if chemotherapy follows. Removal is quick and done in clinic.
Who the tube does not suit
A jejunostomy is not right for everyone. If the bowel is scarred from earlier surgery, if there is a lot of fluid in the belly, or if the person cannot manage the care at home and has no one who can, the team may choose a nose tube or a different plan. Ask why one was chosen or not chosen for you.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you how long your tube will stay in, how much feed you need, or which feed. Those numbers come from your dietitian and change as you recover. It cannot tell you whether the tube site is infected; that needs someone to look. And it cannot replace the ward's training. Ask to do a feed yourself, in front of the nurse, before you leave.
If you are home and unsure whether something is normal, call the helpline. It is far better to ask about a small thing than to stop feeding and wait.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the feeding tube
Can I eat by mouth while the tube is in?
Yes, once your team says the join has healed enough. Most people run feeds overnight and eat small meals by day, so the two do not compete for space. The tube is a top-up while eating builds, not a reason to stop trying food.
Can I bathe with it?
A shower or a bucket bath is fine once the ward confirms the site has healed. Keep the cap closed, pat the area dry afterwards and put on a fresh dressing. Avoid soaking in a tub or a pond, and avoid swimming.
How do I give tablets through it?
Ask the pharmacist which of your medicines can be crushed or come as liquid; some cannot be crushed and need a swap. Give each one separately, dissolved well, with a water flush before and after. Crushed tablets are the commonest cause of a blocked tube.
Who helps at home in a district town?
The ward trains a family member before discharge, and the dietitian stays in touch by phone. Feed can be couriered or bought at larger pharmacies. If you are far from the centre, tell the team; a local nurse can be briefed on dressing and flushing so you do not travel for small things.
What if the tube blocks at night?
Try warm water with gentle push and pull on the syringe, and leave it to sit in the tube for a while before trying again. If it will not clear, cap it and call in the morning. Do not use fizzy drinks, oil or anything sharp.
Does taking it out hurt?
Removal takes a moment and is done in the clinic without an anaesthetic. There is a brief pulling sensation. The hole closes on its own within a few days with a simple dressing. A small amount of leakage in the first day or two is expected.
Does the feed cost a lot, and is it covered?
Feed is an ongoing cost while the tube is in. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted at CION, and how much feed is covered depends on the scheme. Call the helpline with your card details and we will tell you what is covered.
Will I always need a tube to eat properly?
Almost never. The tube is temporary support for the first stretch of recovery. Eating by mouth is the long-term plan, and for most people it steadily improves over the first year. A tube that stays longer usually means chemotherapy or a slow join, not a permanent need.
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for oesophageal cancer
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Oesophageal cancer
- NHS — Oesophageal cancer: treatment
- National Cancer Institute — Esophageal cancer treatment (PDQ), patient version
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Learning to Eat Again After EsophagectomyHow eating by mouth is rebuilt while the tube is still doing part of the workWeight Loss After EsophagectomyWhy the feeds are reduced slowly rather than stoppedDumping Syndrome After EsophagectomyThe cramps and sweating that a feed run too fast can causeDrains, Tubes, Lines and CathetersEvery tube you may wake up with, and what each one is forCaretaker and Family Guide to SurgeryFor the person who will be running the feeds at home
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