Linda

Excellent manual from down under. My only quibble was it's warning in bold [quote]Do not put pureed food down tube. Only put
prescribed formula down tubes[/quote] As my little column in the Post described, using properly prepared real food is a godsend if your PEG is not just temporary.
Plus I can't help but wonder if the liquid nutrient is so great, why don't hospitals just close down their cafeterias and food services to save money and just provide Ensure to everyone since most patients are in for a week or less?
Charm

Christine,

When Carol was in the hospital a couple of the nurses would pull and yank on the tube. I told them to quit doing it but they looked at me as if I didn't know what I was talking about! If Carol hadn't been so doped up she would have swung at them. LOL

Linda

Charm,

LOL. Could you imagine if they shut down the cafeterias and have Ensure vending machines? Someone would be jumping on the bandwagon patenting recipes and the like for tube patients! The medical profession is always touting proper nutrition, why not proper nutrition for people that can not eat orally, temporary or permanent?

I still don't understand why there is so much indifference from the medical sector in regards to feeding tubes. A patient finds out they need one, have it placed....bye, you're on your own.

Using "prescribed only" formula is a cash cow...and many institutions still use the smaller tubes. Making it impossible to get pureed food down without clogging. If they went with larger tubes, ie 18fr, for adults, pureed foods would be practical. Shands-Jax standard size is 18FR, they realize the problems with smaller sizes and understand patients may want to use other foods besides the formulas. That's the sense I get from the Drs. anyway.

Linda

Linda, poor Carol !!!!! No wonder she had problems. Its amazing how some medical professionals are so wonderful and on the ball and there are some so ignorant.

Linda

It's so hard to get comprehensive information on HEN. (I like that acronym) For example, lots of internet sites extol the "button" or flat feeding tubes made by Bard or Mic-key, yet the anti leak valve in the buttons is only 12 FR. Likewise almost all extender tubes are only 12 FR. I finally got a 16 FR G tube which handles the Vitamix food pretty good even with the narrow 12 FR extender and since it's larger than the extender tube, it does not clog very often. I am learning piece meal by cross examining each doctor that puts in a new feeding tube for me. So far I am on my 4th g-tube since March 2009 and next one scheduled for end of August, beginning of September.
Charm

Yeah, Carol has the mindset of "I've told you once, I've told you twice" do it one more time and you're mine. Then she'll say "I told you". LOL

Charm

I didn't know the 16 FR would work that well with pureed foods. You definitely have been experimenting and making it work for you. Good info to know and to keep in the back of my head just in case. Keep grilling the Docs, they may learn something from you.

The adage of "the patient is their own best advocate" rings very true.

Linda

Hey Charm,

That chart is a font of information! Wow...why don't they give that out to all of us who go home from the hospital with the patients who have had a PEG tube placed? Thank you so much!

Susan