Liquid Hope (tube food) available from VA

[GregK]

Functional Formularies posted on Facebook that Liquid Hope enteral food is now available through the VA.

I just started using this stuff through my private insurance. I wanted to try something that didn't get it's calories from corn syrup.

Their webpage is functionalformularies(dot)com

 

[BlueandGold]

Let us know how you tolerate it Greg. I'm in the process of trying to get it approved through Medicare. Got Bedlack to write the script for it saying the standard formulas were not tolerable for me. I'm supposed to hear by next week if approved.

Vince

 

[GregK]

I've been on it for a few weeks now, no problems.

It's relatively low calorie, especially compared to Boost Plus, so I use 1 1/2 bags per meal. Also pretty thick, we trashed the first bag. Adding 1 to 2 cups of water and heating up to about 'hot meal' temps cured that.

 

[BlueandGold]

Yeah, I had read that it's pretty thick. I was thinking of adding chicken broth to it to thin it out. I assume you have to use the syringe to push it through. I'm hoping it will help with my bowell routine.

Vince

 

[GregK]

I don't use the syringe, I use gravity (kangaroo) feeding bags. Warm and with water it flows even in the bags with skinny hoses.
I also no longer have heartburn after eating.

TMI alert: at 4 1/2 bags a day my bm's are twice daily.

 

[BlueandGold]

No way is that TMI Greg. I would be thrilled with two bm's a day. I only go every other day and I have to use a fleet enema every time. I take docusate stool softener twice a day but my issue is I don't have the diaphragm or abdominal strain to bear down. Luckily, the enemas work every time. Thank you for the info Greg.

Vince

 

[GregK]

Update.

It turns out that the various VA regions each have their own formulary.
So your VA might not have access to Liquid Hope.

Mine doesn't.

 

[GregK]

My Liquid Hope experiment has come to an end. My local VA couldn't get it on their formulary and Kaiser denied it.

I'm not totally broken up seeing it go, the shear volume I had to intake to meet calorie needs was uncomfortable (think Thanksgiving dinner 'feeling' for EACH feeding).

I have been ingesting nothing other than LH these last 3 months. I was hoping for some 'change' from being sugar-free and vegan, a dietetic epiphany if you will, but nada.

Pros:

I knew 'good' stuff was going into me.

The LH folks did a great deal of work with my doctor and Kaiser attempting to get it authorized. No joy.

Cons:

Quantity, as noted above. After working with my dietician I was able to cut back from 1 1/2 bags per feeding to 1 bag supplemented by two Tb of peanut butter. But even 1 bag made me full.

Prep. The consistency was akin to pea soup. We got it flowing by adding 1 1/2 cups of water and heating. The big bore feeding bags worked best, the skinny tubed ones needed constant attention.

Hang time. It was all or nothing; trying to slow the flow simply stopped the flow.

BMs. As things get weaker, having multiple BMs per day was tiring.

 

[affected]

Hey Greg, thanks for so much detail about this.

What are you doing now instead?

 

[GregK]

Boost plus.

Which is what I was on prior to the LH.

 

[affected]

Greg how are you doing now you've been off the LH for at least a few days?

 

[BlueandGold]

I just got a letter from Functional Formularies that my DME provider is closing and there are no other Medicare approved providers in my region that carry the liquid hope. So, my last shipment will be tomorrow. Fortunately I've been stockpiling my shipments since I am still eating blended foods in the vitamix. Won't last me forever but at least I can stretch my supply out when the time comes that I can no longer eat by mouth at all bu using both the liquid hope and boost very high calorie.

Vince

 

[GregK]

Tillie,
Jut past a week now, no difference noticeable.

Two brief bouts of diarrhea.