Not being able to breathe right after feeding tube feeding

[TimTam11]

Hi all,
I hope you're all having a great day so far. I'm new to the forum space and thankful I found such a supportive and wonderful community. I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place, but was wondering if anyone has experienced not being able to breathe, or having a running nose/congestion right after being syringe fed through the feeding tube?

My dad was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS in January of 2012 and of course it's progressing. We used to be able to feed him through the tube and he would be fine, but now, he keeps saying he can't breathe maybe 10-15 minutes after I feed him. Has anyone else experienced this? I've even taken him to the ER and they said they're not sure why that's happening. The dietician has said maybe he's getting too much feed, so they reduced his Peptamin (feed) from 6 bottles to 5, but it hasn't really helped. Would love to hear if anyone has any insights.

 

[Nikki J]

Not sure what this is. Sounds like when he is full there is pressure on the diaphragm maybe? Mention to his gp, neuro and pulmo.

But to alleviate it while figuring it out I would switch to a feeding pump so it can go slower. My sister used to do intermittent feedsa few times a day when she was hungry. I don’t remember the exact rate but she would do 1-2 cans over 1-2 plus hours at a time. The pump os easy and if he is just sitting it isn’t disruptive at all.

Is the dx date 1/2012 or 1/2022? The former is remarkable

 

[TimTam11]

My mistake, he was diagnosed January 2022...

 

[MupstateNY]

i tnink you also thin the feed with water, and you coud talkto the specialty pharmacist about eating before meds.

 

[TimTam11]

I am now trying the drip feed so it's slower than the syringe feed. Hopefully that will work better. Thank you so much for all your help everyone!

 

[Doing My Best]

That sounds like a good idea, TimTam. My husband gets very uncomfortable if he is fed too quickly. He prefers drip feeding over at least 30 to 45 minutes per 325 ml box of formula. Going faster doesn't affect his breathing but he gets a very upset stomach. Hope it helps in your case.