Please help: Peg tube question

I have read on here to flush the feeding tube before and after feeding. Does flush mean force with the syringe or let the water flow in slowly like the feed? Also has anyone used fruit and vegetable juice through the feeding tube? My mom started chemo yesterday and her instructions are to get 64-96 fl oz of fluid everyday to protect her kidneys. If anybody has information about this please let me know! Thank you it is greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • jcortney
    jcortney Member Posts: 503
    Flush

    Kristen,

    You can do it either way.  So SLOWLY with the syringe, you don't need force or you can let it flow like a feeding.  For cleaning (flushing) before and after feeding 60cc (2 oz) is usually enough to clear the tube.  For hydration, just let it flow slowly like you were feeding.  She needs to be hydrated not only for her kidneys but to prevent a whole host of problems.  So make sure she does it.  

    Now, the tube is for when she can no longer take nutrition and fluids via swallowing.  She MUST KEEP SWALLOWING even when using the tube or she runs the risk of loosing her ability to swallow in the future.

    Hope this helps, any other questions just ask.

    Joe

  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    jcortney said:

    Flush

    Kristen,

    You can do it either way.  So SLOWLY with the syringe, you don't need force or you can let it flow like a feeding.  For cleaning (flushing) before and after feeding 60cc (2 oz) is usually enough to clear the tube.  For hydration, just let it flow slowly like you were feeding.  She needs to be hydrated not only for her kidneys but to prevent a whole host of problems.  So make sure she does it.  

    Now, the tube is for when she can no longer take nutrition and fluids via swallowing.  She MUST KEEP SWALLOWING even when using the tube or she runs the risk of loosing her ability to swallow in the future.

    Hope this helps, any other questions just ask.

    Joe

    Joe has made a great point

    To put it into perspective I only used the tube to drink water for about a week, other than that I was able to swallow it. If she is swallowing medicine she can swallow water.

  • Kristen1112
    Kristen1112 Member Posts: 17
    ratface said:

    Joe has made a great point

    To put it into perspective I only used the tube to drink water for about a week, other than that I was able to swallow it. If she is swallowing medicine she can swallow water.

    Thank you for the

    Thank you for the information. Also I just wanted to address my moms situation. She has SCC of the pharynx with mets to the cervical of the esophagus. She is not doing radiation and the doctors are seeing if this new cancer responds to chemo. She is still swallowing soft foods and takes sips of her drink through out the day but the feeding tube was placed for extra calories and fluid. We were told this new cancer is radiation induced from 9 years ago when she had SCC of the epiglottis. I think we are into the palliative care at this point but of course praying for a miracle!

     

    Thank you for the reply I wanted to make sure we were "flushing it correctly".

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    PEG me

    Kristen,

     

    Just to be clear, you should never have to force fluids down a PEG.  If all is working well you should be able to push a full syringe down easily.

     

    The reason I bring this up is I went through 2 PEG’s and the first one you had to painfully force liquids down and the second one work like a breeze, whether at fast drip or super soaker speed.

     

    I used Jevity and fruit juices mixed with meds down mine, but people on here use everything you can think of including alcoholic beverage (which I do not recommend).  For me, it was hang 2 cans of Jevity up high and let them drip into the PEG (about 1.5 hours).  For flushing I used about a full syringe and about 5 seconds to push it through (slower if needed).

     

    I also continued to drink tons of water and drink one meal a day.

     

    You will get the hand of it.

     

    Matt

  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    CivilMatt said:

    PEG me

    Kristen,

     

    Just to be clear, you should never have to force fluids down a PEG.  If all is working well you should be able to push a full syringe down easily.

     

    The reason I bring this up is I went through 2 PEG’s and the first one you had to painfully force liquids down and the second one work like a breeze, whether at fast drip or super soaker speed.

     

    I used Jevity and fruit juices mixed with meds down mine, but people on here use everything you can think of including alcoholic beverage (which I do not recommend).  For me, it was hang 2 cans of Jevity up high and let them drip into the PEG (about 1.5 hours).  For flushing I used about a full syringe and about 5 seconds to push it through (slower if needed).

     

    I also continued to drink tons of water and drink one meal a day.

     

    You will get the hand of it.

     

    Matt

    Kristen
    I did almost identical to Matt. You shouldn't have to forcefully flush the tube but you can use the syringe or gravity and you can put most anything in there as long as texture permits. As Matt said, I don't recommend alcohol but some did it.
    Good luck with everything and let us know if you have any more questions.
    Billie
  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    I had two syringes....

    one I kept the plunger and only used it for flushing....giving the water a small amount of pressure going down the tube....the other I used only for liquid nutrients (Ensure Plus and Boost) and fed by gravity....sometimes I'd mix the Boost with some milk to thin it out and get it down the tube faster.....the only other thing I put down my tube was coca cola to clean it out.

    I kept a 33 oz bottle of water by my chair and sipped on it all day long.....ate what I could for as long as I could.  Many things I mixed with milk to thin them out (like mac and cheese).....plus I went thru a gallon of 4% milk every 2 or 3 days just drinking it....Milk was wonderful and I could taste it far into treatment.

    p

  • fishmanpa
    fishmanpa Member Posts: 1,227 Member

    I had two syringes....

    one I kept the plunger and only used it for flushing....giving the water a small amount of pressure going down the tube....the other I used only for liquid nutrients (Ensure Plus and Boost) and fed by gravity....sometimes I'd mix the Boost with some milk to thin it out and get it down the tube faster.....the only other thing I put down my tube was coca cola to clean it out.

    I kept a 33 oz bottle of water by my chair and sipped on it all day long.....ate what I could for as long as I could.  Many things I mixed with milk to thin them out (like mac and cheese).....plus I went thru a gallon of 4% milk every 2 or 3 days just drinking it....Milk was wonderful and I could taste it far into treatment.

    p

    It does a body good

    Hey P,

    Your tip about milk I've taken to heart. Marcia is a big milk drinker and she's been on me too. When she read your milk tip, she was all over it! ~lol~

    Anyway... I've been drinking A LOT of milk. Both in my shakes and by itself. By itself I've been drinking whole chocolate milk. Surprisingly, I still have my taste buds and today is treatment #20... Check it out! Tomorrow is T minus 9 ;)~

    "T

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    fishmanpa said:

    It does a body good

    Hey P,

    Your tip about milk I've taken to heart. Marcia is a big milk drinker and she's been on me too. When she read your milk tip, she was all over it! ~lol~

    Anyway... I've been drinking A LOT of milk. Both in my shakes and by itself. By itself I've been drinking whole chocolate milk. Surprisingly, I still have my taste buds and today is treatment #20... Check it out! Tomorrow is T minus 9 ;)~

    "T

    YEAH T!!!!

    The single digit celebration is about to be reality!!  I can't believe you still have taste  buds (mine are still taste aquaintences). 

    Milk was my friend and ally all through rads....I'm glad to hear Marcia got you going on it.  Two birds with one stone...nutrition and hydration in one fell swoop - even better chocolate milk, more calories.

    p

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    Hi Kristen

     

    I been on the PEG tube for just over a year now and will be on it for the rest of my life. I learned to eat anything and everything there is through the PEG tube. I have a Montel Health Master Blender and it will make any food into baby food for me to get into my 60cc syringe. I use a lot of Veggie broth and make it as watery as I can and into the tube it goes. If you need give my wife a call, my e-mail is on my profile just click on Hondo and I will e-mail you back my contact information.

     

     

    God Bless you both

    Hondo   

  • JoeTEMT
    JoeTEMT Member Posts: 5
    Peg tube

    I had a jpeg tube my stomach was to small,for the peg!  Mine goes in the small intestine! Had part of my stomach removed years ago because of an ulcer!  I also needed the 64oz of water a day!  They count the water in the feeding material also! I took 5 8oz cans of Glucerna daily this counted as my water also.  I was told to flush the tube with 4oz twice a day! So I had to drink only 16oz of water a day or any other liquid!  If it had caffine they said don't count that because you urinate it out!  I had head and neck cancer in July 2012!  Went to Sloan Kettering in New York City!  What a great place I am now cancer free!  

    I hope this helped if not let me know I can give you more! My feeding tubes comes out next week! Able to eat enough to maintain my weight! Been off it for two months now!