Tube feeding

[Happyheartlovelife]

Hi all!

So for 8 days now I have been unable to swallow anything solid. No food. The drs wanted me admitted on Friday. But I managed to get some liquid food and will go in on Monday for tube feeding.

I'm hungry. I can't explain the uncomfortableness of it. I can't sleep because I'm so hungry. So on top of that I'm tired!

I've been fed before on a tube. But many years ago. I remember you've got to swallow the tube. How will I do that? Can they force it down? Could it go into my lungs? How do they know it's in the right place?

Will they feed me the liquid food? Or is it different?

How long can they do this for? Indefinitely? I've lost 7kgs. Will I gain it back and fast? Can I go home at all?

I could do with a handhold. I'm terrified!

Okay, it will all be fine.

Today, drink milk, hot chocolate, Horlicks, lattes, smooth yogurt , your nourishment drinks. Have one every hour on the hour.
Ice cream is good too, get decent full cream expensive stuff.
Try putting your chin down to swallow rather than up and turning your head to either the left or right can also help.

Tube feeding is done by experts, who will be able to help you to swallow the tube, and will be well used to this. Please don’t worry, they have seen it all before.

You will be fine, they usually xray the tube to check it's in the stomach. There are different bags of liquids they give you plus extra water. This is all prescribed by the doctor, dietician and sometimes a nutrition nurse.
Are you having a naso gastric tube which they put in through your nose. Longterm they can put a tube directly into your stomach. Do you know why you have this problem.

Thank you both of you

That's so kind

Waiting for a quick endoscopy

I appreciate your messages

I'm rather hungry now. It's been 10 days. At the hospital right now.

However on the way in the man on the door wouldn't let me in without wanting to read my medical notes. Which he started to call me names when I refused. The letter was sealed. So even I could t read it. So that didn't help

But thanks all! I managed to get some fluid. But sadly the swallowing has gotten so bad. It seems neurological in nature. So it's the muscles not working properly.

My daughter is fed through a tube. Directly into her stomach these days but via naso-gastric tube for about a year and a half first.

She isn't safe to swallow any liquids so we always passed the tube without anything to prompt her to swallow. If you can manage a sip of water they might suggest that to help swallow the tube as they pass it, but it can be done without.

It's no-one's idea of fun but it is okay. They will probably use a syringe to draw back on the tube and then check the ph of the liquid that comes back. They can then see if it's stomach acid. If it's not then the tube is probably in the wrong place, but I think as an adult you'd be able to feel that anyway - in your airway it would make you cough etc.

If it's any comfort, in 17 months of dealing with my daughter's tube (sometimes passing it multiple times a day as she used to pull it out), it never went into her airway.

Best of luck; hope it all goes smoothly.

Had the tube in

It's not nice at all. It was pretty horrid having it out in. Lots of gagging. I've lost my swallow control. Hence the tube. So they had to kind of push it down

But I'm feeling better. So it's all good. Just waiting to go home. I'm at risk for refeeding syndrome. So I'm still in hospital.