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CION Cancer Clinics
Feeding jejunostomy after stomach surgery: what it is and how to live with it | CION Cancer Clinics
A feeding jejunostomy is a thin, soft tube through the skin of the belly into the small bowel, so that liquid feed can reach you while the new join in your gut heals and while eating by mouth is still small. It is usually placed during the gastrectomy and is temporary. This page explains why it is there, the routine at home, the problems to expect, and when it comes out. 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 was it placed?
- How does feeding through the tube actually work at home?
- What you should have been shown and given
- Common tube problems, and what to do about each
- Four things families tell us about the tube, and what is actually true
- When the tube comes out, and what this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about a feeding jejunostomy
The short answer
What is a feeding jejunostomy, and why was it placed?
A feeding jejunostomy is a thin, soft tube that passes through the skin of the belly directly into the jejunum, the middle part of the small bowel. Liquid feed goes through it so that you can be fed while the new join in your gut heals, or while eating by mouth is not yet enough. It is usually placed during the gastrectomy itself, and it is temporary.
Why the surgeon puts it in
After a total gastrectomy there is a fresh join between the gullet and the bowel. Some surgeons prefer to rest that join for the first days and feed you below it. Others place the tube because eating will be slow to build up, because you were underweight before the operation, or because chemotherapy afterwards will make eating harder. Not everyone needs one. Ask your surgeon why you have one.
What it is not
It is not a sign that the operation went badly, and it is not a permanent stoma. It does not stop you eating by mouth once your team says you can. Most people use it for weeks, with the feed falling as meals grow, and then it is removed in the clinic.
The tube is fine enough that ordinary food and crushed tablets can block it. Only liquid feed, water and medicines your team has approved go through it.Day to day
How does feeding through the tube actually work at home?
Flush before and after
A syringe of clean water is pushed gently through the tube before each feed and after it. This is the single habit that keeps the tube open. Boiled and cooled water is fine. Never force a flush against resistance.
The feed itself
A prescribed liquid feed runs in slowly, either by a pump or by gravity from a bag, often overnight so the day is free. Your dietitian sets the rate and the amount. Feed that runs in too fast causes cramps, bloating and loose motions, so the rate is built up over days.
Sit up while feeding
Feeding half-sitting rather than flat lowers the chance of feed coming back up. For an overnight feed, prop the head of the bed with a folded quilt under the mattress.
Care of the skin
Clean around the tube daily with boiled, cooled water, dry it gently, and keep the tube secured to the skin with the tape or dressing you were shown. A little clear discharge at the site is common. Redness, pus, pain or swelling is not, and should be reported.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistBefore you go home
What you should have been shown and given
- A demonstration of flushing, connecting and disconnecting, with a family member watching
- The name of the feed, the rate, the total per day and the timing, written down
- Enough feed, syringes, giving sets and dressings until the next visit, and where to buy more
- A list of which medicines can go through the tube and which cannot
- A phone number for a blocked, leaking or fallen-out tube, day or night
- The plan for reducing the feed as you eat more, and when the tube comes out
When something goes wrong
Common tube problems, and what to do about each
Most are minor and most are fixable at home or in a quick clinic visit. One of them cannot wait.
The tube is blocked
Usually from feed left sitting in it or a tablet that was not fully crushed. Try a gentle push-and-pull with warm water in a small syringe. Do not use a wire or force it. If it stays blocked, ring the team the same day.
Feed leaking around the tube
A small amount of leakage at the skin is common and is managed with a dry dressing. A larger, steady leak, or leakage with redness and pain, needs to be seen. Do not tape the tube tighter to stop it.
The tube has come out
This is the one that cannot wait. The opening in the bowel wall starts to close within hours. Cover the site with a clean dressing, do not try to push the tube back in, and go to the hospital the same day with the tube in a clean bag.
Bloating, cramps or loose motions
Almost always the feed running too fast, too cold, or too much at once. Slow the rate, let the feed reach room temperature, and tell the dietitian. Loose motions that continue, with fever or blood, need to be seen.
Also ring if
- Belly pain that gets worse during a feed
- Vomiting during or after a feed
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Commonly believed
Four things families tell us about the tube, and what is actually true
"He has a tube, so he should not eat by mouth at all."
Once the team has cleared eating, the tube and the mouth work together. Meals by mouth grow and the tube feed shrinks to match. Stopping food by mouth to protect the tube delays the day it comes out. Follow the plan the dietitian wrote, not a rule of thumb.
"We can put home-made soup or dal water through it instead of the feed."
The tube is narrow and home-made liquids block it, and they carry far less protein and energy than a prescribed feed. A blocked tube may mean a hospital visit or a new tube. If cost is the worry, say so. There are cheaper feed options and schemes that help.
"The tube means the cancer is advanced."
The tube is about nutrition and healing, not about the stage of the cancer. Many people with early disease have one because their surgeon prefers to rest the join or because they were underweight. It says nothing about the pathology report.
"If the tube falls out we can wait until the next appointment."
The opening closes within hours, and putting a new tube in later may need another procedure. A tube that has come out is a same-day visit, whatever the hour. Keep the emergency number in two phones.
Being straight with you
When the tube comes out, and what this page cannot tell you
The tube comes out when you are eating and drinking enough by mouth to hold your weight without it, and when any planned chemotherapy is not expected to knock that back. Your dietitian and surgeon decide together, usually from your weight chart and what you are managing at meals. Removal is done in the clinic. The tube is pulled gently, a dressing goes over the site, and the small opening closes on its own within days.
Who this page does not fully cover
If your tube was placed because the cancer could not be removed and the stomach is blocked, the tube may be long term, and the plan for it is different. If you have a gastrostomy (a tube into the stomach) or a nasal tube, the care differs in detail. And if you are on chemotherapy with the tube in place, your oncologist may want the feed continued through the cycles even when you feel able to eat.
What it cannot tell you
It cannot tell you your rate, your feed, or your date for removal. Those are set for you and adjusted at each visit. It cannot replace the demonstration you were given before discharge. If the person who was shown is not the one at home, ask for it to be repeated.
Weigh yourself once a week on the same scales and write it down. It is the single number your team will use to decide when the tube can go.Questions we are asked
Common questions about a feeding jejunostomy
How long will the tube stay in?
For most people, some weeks. It stays until you can hold your weight by mouth, and longer if chemotherapy after surgery is expected to make eating hard. Some surgeons leave it in through the chemotherapy months as a safety net. Ask what your own plan is, and what would bring the date forward.
Does it hurt?
The site can be sore for the first week or two, like any small wound. After that most people forget it is there apart from feed times. Pain that starts later, or pain during a feed, is not expected and should be reported, because it can mean the tube has shifted or the skin is infected.
Can I bathe with it?
Once the surgeon has said the wound is healed, yes. Remove the dressing, shower, pat the site dry and put on a fresh one. Avoid soaking in a tub or swimming until the tube is out. Ask the nurse to show you how to secure it before your first shower at home.
Can medicines go down the tube?
Some can, as liquids or finely crushed and dissolved, with a flush before and after. Some cannot: slow-release tablets, capsules and coated tablets block the tube or stop working when crushed. Your pharmacist or team will write a list. Never crush a tablet without checking it.
Why is the feed given overnight?
So that the daytime is free for meals by mouth, walking and normal life, and so the feed goes in slowly over many hours, which the bowel tolerates better. If overnight feeding disturbs sleep or causes loose motions, tell the dietitian. The schedule can be changed.
Will I gain weight on the feed?
The first goal is to stop losing weight, and the second is to gain slowly. If the weekly weight keeps falling on the feed, the amount is not enough or it is not being absorbed, and both are fixable. Bring your weight diary to every visit.
Can I go back to work with the tube in?
Many people do, especially with overnight feeding. The tube sits flat under loose clothing. Work that involves heavy lifting, bending at the waist all day or working in dirt should wait until the tube is out. Ask your surgeon.
Is the feed covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
The tube placement is usually part of the operation package. The feed itself at home is often not covered, and the monthly cost varies with the product. Ask the dietitian about lower-cost feeds, and call the helpline with your scheme or policy details so we can check your own cover.
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Sources
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Tube feeding (enteral feeding)
- Cancer Research UK — Surgery for stomach cancer
- American Cancer Society — Surgery for stomach cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in cancer care (PDQ)
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
Drains, Tubes, Lines and CathetersEvery other tube you may go home with, explained the same wayAnastomotic Leak After GastrectomyThe complication the tube is often there to feed you throughStopping Weight Loss After Stomach SurgeryWhat decides when the tube can come outEating Small and Often After GastrectomyBuilding meals by mouth while the tube still runs
Talk to us
Struggling with the tube at home?
A blocked, leaking or fallen-out tube is a same-day call to the hospital. For everything else, tell us what is happening and a surgical oncologist will help you sort it out. One helpline serves every CION centre.