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Asking for a feeding tube?

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BellaStartsHere
BellaStartsHere Community member Posts: 3 Listener
edited March 2019 in Disability rights and campaigning
Hi...
So that probably sounds crazy.

For years now I've suffered from the inability to gain weight. I've recently been dropping I'm at a BMI of 15.6 which isn't super low, but things are only getting worse. I just cannot tolerate food, I feel sick, I am sick, I get chronic pain and feel bloated for hours on end. I've tried lactose free diets, gluten free diets, you name it, I've tried it. I've also tried nutricica weight gain food and complan as well as a couple of other brands, but half the time I cannot actually tolerate them.

I've been considering asking about a feeding tube? I know this is a big decision, but I'm so pale, fatigued, my bones are brittle and I have no energy. even though it's not ideal, it would be a way for me to finally gain weight again, to finally get on the road to recovery, what are your thoughts on this?

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  • Misscleo
    Misscleo Community member Posts: 647 Pioneering
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    Try the feeding tube for 4 weeks. Mark your calendar.
    If nothing is any better after 4 weeks drop the tube.
    There's no problem with trying tube. Just don't do it for more than4 weeks
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  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
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    This is really a question you should be asking your GP. we are not qualified to give medical advice on the forum, But you really need to get to the bottom of the underlying problem

    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
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  • Genene
    Genene Community member Posts: 2 Listener
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    Hi @BellaStartsHere. I suffer with all the same symptoms that you have and after a very long haul I finally got diagnosed with gastroperisis. This is were your stomach muscles are paralysed and so it inhibits the food from passing through due to the lack of The peristalsis movements so the food either gets stuck or it comes back up from the way it went down ??. I too am wanting a feeding tube as I’m fed up of living like this. I’m under a fantastic Gastro consultant now and he put Botox into my pyloric muscles in my stomach and I felt a real difference until it wore off. I’m now on the waiting list to get a new procedure called G-Poem were the muscles in your stomach are cut in certain places so they relax more and the food can pass through more easy. Just thought I’d mention the gastroperisis to you as your symptoms sound very much like I was and still am before and after getting the diagnosis. If you haven’t already then a referral to a gastroenterologist consultant sounds like it would benefit you a lot. Sorry if you have already been down that line but just thought I’d mention all this incase you hadn’t as your symptoms practIcally mimic mine. Here anytime if you need to talk more about it. Genene xx
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  • Genene
    Genene Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    edited April 2019
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    @BellaStartsHere Sorry meant to say too if the G-Poem doesn’t work on me the next step will be a feeding tube. My consultant just wanted to try these couple of procedures before we’d go for the option of a permanent Jej. As someone else said to they trial the feeding tube on you first for 4 weeks through an NG tube to see how you tolerate it so that could be an option for you to consider too xx
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