Trigger warning. Feeding tube.

[Armchairanarchist]

This is my first post so please be gentle. I didn't know where else to post so if this is inappropriate I will ask for it to be deleted. I do not have an eating disorder. Tomorrow I'm being admitted into hospital to be fed. I've been on TPN before but I think this time it will be a tube into my intestines. I do not have a stomach, it was removed two years ago. I have chronic malnutrition and had been maintaining calories through a very high calorie liquid diet but I'm losing weight again and keeping very little down. What I'm wondering is if anyone has any experience of this? How long were you in hospital?

Oh bless you, OP. Maybe ask MNHQ to move to Chat which has higher traffic?

(or maybe even the General Health board?)

Hi, I’m on tpn but for the reason I’ve had most of my small intestine removed rather than my stomach but I had a very low weight and was suffering from malnutrition although I don’t have an eating disorder either. I get my tpn through a Hickman line which I have been trained to use myself so I can treat myself at home which you should ask if this is an option for you later on as it will give you more freedom. The tpn has done wonders for me and I am now a healthy weight and feel much healthier. The training took me about 6 weeks in to get taught the aseptic non touch technique but normally it can be taught much quicker than this but I wish you the best of luck and if you have any questions I can help with, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you so much both of you. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough for a huge audience. I had most of my duodenum removed too.

I know there is a Facebook group for those on tpn that has been an invaluable help to others although I’m not on Facebook so can’t comment on the group and there is also a website called PINNT, which stands for patients on intravenous and nasogastric feeding if you want to have a look. It may provide some information for you.

Thank you I'll have a look. I've had an ng tube before for drainage. It got a kink in it and made me retch constantly. I don't want to be difficult with them but I don't want a tube down my nose/throat.

If you really don’t want a nasogastric tube, ask your consultant about the possibility of getting the tpn through a Hickman line or even a picc line. And this method of feeding will bypass the gut completely. Although I haven’t been fed by nasogastric tube for a while now I think it’s slightly different to the tube you get for draining purposes, they can give you some local anaesthetic spray so you don’t feel it going down and you can ask about sedation? Whatever you go for, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you feel better soon

They may pass a tube to feed you in your jeunum (bit after duodenum) rather than tpn. Thats quite common. It is passed like an NG tube but has a weight inside the bottom of the very long tube. Feeds tend to run slower to ensure tolerance. Good luck