Monday, August 27, 2012

Night feedings (am I a vampire now?)


New Experience

Tonight I start my overnight at home feedings. While I sleep a special formula will be going through my G Tube and giving me the food that I need to live. When the nurse came over today to teach me how to run the pump we had one small problem. The doctors had not given us three key pieces of information.  How much am I to get over the course of the entire night? How many hours do they want it to take? What rate per hour?

Without the actual numbers Katie showed me how to set the pump, plus it came with a CD and an instruction booklet.  While Katie was here she tried to call the doctor’s office but they were closed for lunch.  About 2 hours later Katie called me with my actual numbers.  However, she said the doctor was not very helpful, the doctor gave her the goal amount she wants me to take, not the amount to start with. Katie and her coworkers talked and came up with a starting point set of numbers based on what I can already tolerate. If this first set of numbers works well tonight we will slowly adjust the numbers until I reach the goal the doctor wants me to get to without me getting sick each night.

I feel very good about this entire thing, especially knowing that if I need to I can just make a phone call. The Visiting Nurses have someone on call 24 hours a day. So I know that I have support whenever I need it. 

Sorry about not posting anything yesterday, but I was just too tired from going out on Saturday. It was a good time just very tiring on one as weak as I am. Maybe when I can get more food into my body and keep it down I won’t be so weak.

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