Hello,

My mom has a feeding tube into her stomach, its a bolis set up (I hope thats right). She is "fed" every four hours and must take about 6 cans a day. She is having a problem with this. At the hospital they gave her something that was very kind to her stomach, the rehab does not have the same brand. This is causing her to bloat, have gas, and mild idigestion. It is made by Nestle and called Pro 2.0. Does anyone know of another brand that I could find when she comes home that does not do this to her? She is not a big eater and can only take a 1/2 a can of this stuff before her eyes cross and she gets a funny look on her face

Annabel

Hi Annabel-

My husband had a PEG tube for 6 months. While at the first Oncology appointment I found a flyer for Walgreens on-line meal replacements specifically designed for cancer patients. They have a variety of supplements and meal replacements. I tried different suggestions from the doctors and nurses and sometimes he had a reaction from them...like dry milk is a good protein addition but my husband got severe diaharrea from it...so we went back to the protein supplement from Walgreens. It is sort of expensive but we were fortunate enough to have cancer insurance that helped. You may want to see if you can submitt your receipts for re-imbursement from your insurance. Good luck. It is often times a hit and miss with trying to find the right food for your mother...just like anything else it is different for every person.

Lorie/wife of Don- tonsil cancer diagnosed 8-7-03/concurrent IMR/chemo treatments for 7 weeks.

Hi Annebel,

I injected 8 cans of Jevity per day along with my meds and waterand Gatorade. Jevity has 250 calories per can and has all the suggested vitimins needed daily. I had no problems with the tube at all. About three four weeks ago the Doc just pulled it right out. It hurt for a minute but not real bad. You can also try Boost. They sell it at Sam's Club, Walmart and our local Piggly Wiggly. My iins company paid for it as long as it was my main food. It was!!! When your
mom starts eating again yshe will have to be dilligent about eating enough to maintain her weight. It takes me a long time to eat. At least double normal time. I also have to eat softer foods with alot of liquid to wash it down. Tell her it gets better!!! Gary had no tube and I think there is a benifit to eating right awat like him. He suffered for awhile but he eats better and easier for going through it without a tube. Most oral cancer victims end up getting a tube. I gained back 30 pounds in 6 weeks. I was a little lazy in not eating sooner than I did. There are pro's and con's for the tube. Wish your Mom well for me, (I took 2 lactaid pills per day to prevent loose bowels)

Your Friend, Dan

Annabel,
They told my hubby to take 8 cans of BoostPlus a day because he is 6'2"...he could never ingest nearly that much. We asked and got put on Nestle's Nutren 2.0 and he can get about 4 cans in (during some of the last harder weeks only 3). They said 6 cans, but that never happened. This stuff has 500 calories a can, which is good. He was feeling so full sometimes that they ended up giving him another PEG tube med called Metroclam (I think) that somehow made more room in his stomach for the food. Had a little diarrhea, but I used less med and could at least get 3 t0 4 cans and some water in his tube. They radiated his tongue, both sides throat and neck...he could have never taken any food by mouth for the last 7 weeks now and don't know when that will change. Ask about a med to help her take the food. I think Dan's stomach is situated a little high in his body and they say that makes people feel so much fuller especially if they are not active now. He used to never sit down and was one of the most active people I know. He didn't lay flat, but they also said he could recline back just a little while feeding and that seemed to help also.

Thanks,
Debbie

If you can get a prescription for the PEG food your insurance will pay for it. Boost and Ensure and over-the-counter foods would typically not be covered.

I'm on UltraCal with fiber, it only has about 280 calories a can. I also should be getting about 6 cans a day. I am try to get off the PEG tube and drink 2-3 cans of Ensure along with yorgurt and pudding.

My insurance won't pay for the UltraCal, they say it's a food supplement. We appealed, they denied.

Lynn

Hi everyone! I too am having trouble with feeling full & bloated w/Novaris Isosource 1.5 Cal, 375 calories/can. For now I am eating orally, soups, yogurt, softer meats, milk shakes, etc. My chemo/rad starts 4/5/04 & I know I'll have to find a formula that works. The dietician says 7-8 cans a day. I'm 6'1", started this journey at 225lbs, down to 195. Trying to put some weight back on now. The dietician seems puzzled about bloating & fullness w/isosource. Good to know others are having trouble & we can share solutions. I even tried mixing isosource in a big milkshake w/banana, stawberry icecream, but still experienced the same fullness.

Hi, everyone. My husband has had a PEG tube since January. As Boost, etc are so prohibitively expensive, I did a good bit of research and talking with the cancer dietician at our hospital and came up with a plan to "build" nutrition myself for him. I generally purchase hi-protein powders from a health food store and, when not easily accessible, use same from Walmart. I then add yogurts, milk, of course, baby food vegetables and fruits, olive oil, and even Karo syrup (to add carbs). The nutritionist/dietician have had me write these items down to suggest to other patients. All of the items are easily digested by my husband with the exception of certain fruits that he had digestive problems with prior to the PEG. I also add peanut butter and sometimes ice cream to add calories, as we are trying to increase his weight (he is 6'3" and has lost over 40 pounds but we are slowly building back his weight) As everyone here mentions, the Ensure, Boost, etc. are just too much; both expense-wise and amount that you have to ingest in a day. These shakes that I create make 2 quarts and he easily manages these. We have, in the past 2 weeks, started increasing the amount slowly to add weight. Health food stores offer so much more in respect to soy products and vegetable proteins, so I would suggest using these when possible and Walmart brands as 2nd choice.

Got this recipe off the board last year:

1 tablespoon Carnation
2 tablespoons Ovaltine
One Package Carnation instant breakfast
1/2 cup Whole milk
1/2 cup half and Half
2cups ice cream..mix in blender.
1350 calories I believe.
It tastes pretty good and really packs those calories on....Good Luck
Marica