Peg tube pain

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ctollar

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Lost a loved one
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My father had his peg tube placed last Friday and is in a lot of pain. Took him to the ER yesterday and they stated that he is taking in too much formula at once. He was prescribed 6 cans of Jevity a day. Hospital recommended cutting back or slowing down on the feedings. Any advice on how to help him adjust?
 
It is not unusual for PALS to have postoperative pain for a week after the tube. My sister did.

However if it is the feedings, how are you giving them? Are you using a pump? My sister, who was very malnourished , had a lot of trouble adjusting. The answer was very slow feeding via pump and less than recommended total for day, increasing every couple of days. The first feeding was 18 of 24 hours. She also ended up not tolerating jevity. We had to try a couple of formulas until she got one that worked.
 
Nikki,
He is currently using gravity for feedings. What is the pump? How do i acquire this?
 
It can be ordered by the doctor. It uses special tubing that should be delivered along with it. You hook it up and set a rate ( so much an hour). My sister and brother in law did not want it but the clinic insisted they use it and it was the answer. Often PALS if they sleep with head raised do their feeding overnight.

Who is running the feedings? A nutritionist? Someone at the clinic? You should have someone you can talk to about this and they should make a plan. Refeeding if someone has been starving is not as simple as calculating calories and walking away. We were lucky that we had support to work through it.
 
A pump has been suggested for my PALS a few times. If he is mobile, a pump can be used with a backpack also. It was trial and error to see what formula worked for my PALS. He is using Isosource 1.5.
 
I hope you have a team helping you?

You should have a dietician assigned who can help you figure out the best feeding regime. As Nikki says it is not always just simple.

My Chris had a LOT of pain the first week and one doctor treated him like a wimp. I can tell you it was the only time I ever saw him complain of real pain and want relief so it was real.

He also had a lot of trouble adjusting to a feeding regime. I think a pump would have helped but he flat out refused.
 
You describe that your father has pain... but not what the pain seems to be related to. Does his stomach hurt from what is being put into his stomach? Or is it the hole (incision) around the tube that hurts. My PALs surrounding tissue would ooze, scab and hurt nearly constantly. We eventually determined that use of triple antibiotic ointment, squeezed into the opening around the tube, encouraged better healing and much less discomfort. Regardless, it is difficult for any of us to offer advice without understanding the nature of the pain and discomfort that your father is experiencing. Thanks for asking questions to try and help him. I hope you find your answers!

My best...

Jim
 
Went to the ER and told was given too much to start... He is still in pain and the surgery way last Thursday. Took the evening for me and have received phone calls and texts. I feel so guilty... Now my sister says the nail beds of his left hand are blue... What does this mean???
 
If there is a big difference in size/color/temperature of that hand from the other, and this is new since you were at the hospital, I would go back to whoever placed it, or ER. To start, you can take a pic or Skype and show them what it looks like.
 
how is the pain now?
 
We found out the pain was due to an infection brewing on the surgical site. He is much better now and using the feeding tube like a champ. Next order of business is to get him a laxative to help with bowel movements.
 
So glad that is solved - LOTS of fluids is the first important thing to prevent/treat constipation.
 
Sounds like all is good with the tube, for constipation I use a product called. "CALM" can be bought in any drug store or on line and I take it twice a day by my Peg and it works great.
Al
 
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