peg feeding question

[nebrhahe53]

Tried 1st peg feeding today. When using gravity feeding the pressure in my stomach was high enough that no formula went into the tube. The only way to get formula in was to plunge it. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[hn7609]

I've just had a tube for a couple of weeks so I'm still kind of new to the whole system but I have found that I must raise the syringe as high as possible to really get things flowing. If I hold it low nothing moves. Water and beer fly right thru, the thicker formula definitely moves slower.

 

[nebrhahe53]

welcome to the forum. You should introduce yourself and your condition in the new members section. Thanks for the input

 

[Hevnw8s]

When I was tube feeding my mom, I would stand next to her bed and hold the syringe up as if I were making a toast with a glass of wine. This also straightened out the actual tube leading into the body which also helped with the flow...but due to the thickness, it was pretty slow. Don't forget to flush it before and after each feeding to avoid build-up and clogging.

 

[affected]

Neil another trick can be not to be sitting up too straight as that can put pressure on your stomach.

Sometimes to get the flow started I would have to just kind of hold the syringe fairly high and get Chris to force his stomach up and down a bit and lean back a little.

It's so hard to describe with text, I can see the little tricks in my mind as I type but can't find the words lol

I never plunged the feed in, but make sure you also start just with water. Water is thinner so more likely to get the flowing started. As the water is halfway running out, add a bit of whatever you are using for the feed, ensure or jevity or whatever, so it is still a bit thinner and the flow is starting. Then you can lower the syringe a bit and move to the full thickness of the feed.

Hope that helps!

 

[Schmidhogan]

God Neil, nothing on this peg has been easy for you. UGH.

 

[nebrhahe53]

yeah no kidding Ive never had so many issues-if the pain doesnt go away by Monday Im going to have to get a CT scan to see if I have a blood clot. Just want something to work the way it should-my body certainly doesnt anymore.

 

[gooseberry]

Neil, did you get a button or a regular peg tube? Do you have tubing outside? I am curious because Steve had discomfort and took pain meds everyday after his was done until he got the button tube , which I have now been told is a Mic key. He has no pain at all and says he feels so much better since the change.(well the home health peg fiasco I have referred too)

 

[nebrhahe53]

They wont do the button until 6 weeks after the tube. Dont knoow why, so I have the tube sticking out of my body.

 

[gooseberry]

That is what steve started with as well. They said generally that is the route many people go although some can go straight to the button. He has been pain free since he got the button a few days ago. Hopefully yours will come sooner rather than later. He found the tubes a bother.

 

[gooseberry]

P.s. taping the tube to your body so it doesnt move around is very helpful

 

[dalvin]

I wear one of those binders that go around your torso so I don't accidentally snag it and pull it out. I don't keep it tight, just as a protector. Pin the end to the binder so it's not flopping around getting hung up on stuff