I've been feeding thru my g-peg the canned product, "Compleat" for the last several months. (I can't eat or drink thru mouth.) My evening feedings cause me regurgitation and severe tummy upset; it's like I have acid reflux. I tried an anti-acids, horrible - messes with my stomach acidity I need for digestion. One natural-path suggested I wasn't getting enough acid for digestion. I tried a little lemon before feeding with varied results. Any suggestions 'cause I'm starting to lose weight again.

I found that over more than a year on the PEG I had to rotate various nutritional supplements to keep my stomach calm, and whether it was true or not, I had some feeling that I was varying my nutrition intake as well. It is no surprise that a homeopath would indicate more acid for too much acid... typical homeopathy concepts which lack evidence based proof of effectiveness. What has your gastro doctor suggested for you?

Several tricks Ive used have helped me with being nasueous. Slow down the feedings, always sit up when being fed, water down the formula. Usually slowing down the feeding and adding a can of water work for me. I use the pump and several times have taken the speed all the way down to 20 for a few days and it worked magically. It could also simply be your formula. I went thru 4 before I found one I could tolorate.

Even though I have always had a cast iron stomach and was able to tolerate gravity feed right from the start and have progressed to all syringe feedings, I did get some indigestion from evening feedings. So I stopped them and upped my breakfast and lunch feedings to two cans each. I have one can mid afternoon and use the Vitamix for dinner at six oclock. No more food after that and no more indigestion.
I've only used Jevity and Ensure and not Compleat so can't comment on that. It is so frustrating that feeding tube patients get so little followup and help with problems.
Charm

Like Christine, my Alex had dramas with the speed of administration with canned "food". In an attempt to get it over and done with he would pump 4 or 5 syringefuls of "goop" into his PEG in about 2 minutes. This was the equivalent of a full meal and it came as no suprise when he complained of feeling sick and bloated AND suffered from reflux. It made him avoid the process which caused serious weight loss. We now use a pump and get 3 meals in overnight over about 8 hours. The "goop" we use is called Nutrison concentrated and here in Australia costs us about $600 a month as it is not on insurance. Alex has even speeded that up to 6 hours but that is sometimes too quick when he is feeling unwell from treatment.

The other piece of advice that ChristineB gave us at the beginning was to go with products recommended by the hospital (?prescribed). I made the mistake of trying body building supplements and liquid breakfast preparations which just did not have enough of anything in them. We learned the hard way and ended up with Alex in hospital weighing 48kg (105lbs). At 6'1" this was not pretty and frightened me more than the cancer.

We also learned that skinny and going through treatment is way worse than going through at a decent weight with good hydration. We finally got his weight up to 60kgs (135lbs) which is still not great but boy it made a difference to his ability to tolerate treatment. Alex is now the star patient.

You sound like you know all this and are working hard to keep your weight up which is great but so difficult if it is no fun for you let alone making you sick. Have you considered why it is the evening feeds? What are you doing or what is happening that is different to your other feeds? Maybe too late at night or you sit differently causing some sort of constriction? Do you lie on the lounge at night allowing undigested goop to travel north instead of south? An upright position might help or feed earlier in the evening? Or feed in smaller increments? Or discuss with your nutritionist the use of an overnight pump? Is there an evening medicine that you are taking that may have nausea or stomach upset as a side effect? Chantix? Nicotine patches? Pain killers? Or a medicine that you should be taking on an empty stomach or one that should be taken with food?

I would also reconsider the naturopath's advice. Not enough acid for digestion? Not possible (or relevant). Your stomach produces enough hydrochloric acid to degrease a small garage (attempt at humour here - I have no idea how much hydrochloric acid is required to degrease a garage :))! Also be careful with antacids that you buy yourself - they can interfere with the actions of other drugs you might be taking. My Alex was given something for reflux (and is NOT an antacid)which was prescribed by his oncologist which has been very effective.

i take 9 bottles of multifibre fortisip per day ( 4 feeds of 2 and a quarter) plus 3 lots of half syringe of calogen. i'm 10% heavier than 1 week post surgery at 87kg ( 196lb ) and the dietician & district nurse are happy with that 1.85m (6ft2).
i've found if i feed to fast i get mild indigestion and loose movements next morning, worked out to time each syringe at a minute or so + water flush before and after so takes 8min + . we only get chocolate & vanilla options in fortisip so mix 50/50 otherwise find to sickly when it repeats / mild burps.

Is tht there anything but watter we can drink when in recovery!!!!!!!!!

GrammaJulie,

Recovery from what?