Have had peg fitted 3 days and have now started to vomit my feed up, i am doing exactly as the dietitian has written and that is 50ml water flush through peg first the 200 ml of fortisip multi fibre and 200 ml of fortisip then flushed through with 50 ml water to clean peg line . As it is Sunday i cant get hold of anyone i hope some one can help here.It is as if it is curdleing in my tummy, when vomiting 2 types of fortisip are coming up seperate thats about all i can tell you . by the way the feeds are via a syringe direct in to the peg and the quantity is 4 times per day..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: carl s,

Hello Carl, first of all, do you have a chemo telephone number at your hospital, if not, ring the hospital and tell them what is happening and that you need to speak to someone there. Also, taking two fortisip one after the other seems a lot, are you putting them through your tube too quickly? Ring the hospital and let us know how you go on.

Thanks i rang the company that supply the stuff it seems the nurse on the ward when i had my peg fitted was talking out of her butt she said i could inject as fast as i wanted too but it seems that 1 200 ml bottle should take approx 20 minutes will give it a go later and let you know how i get on as i am still feeling pukee from last vomiting session. thanks for your reply

If i were you Carl, I would perhaps give it a rest for today unless you're feeling very hungry. Just keep sipping water as much as you can.

Hi Carl,you are having a bad time at moment .Considering you have just started your peg feeding I think you are putting too much fortisip through at one time .I am understanding that you are bolusing this with a syringe .When my husband started with his peg feeding he had to bolus ONE fotisip through slowly it took about 15/20 minutes he would then wait an hour and do second one .He used to feel it would back up on him by way of burping for a while and he hated the taste however it needed to be done .

At night he had his Jevity feed in the bottle which we set up on the pump at side of bed. We ran this through at a very slow rate .We started night feed via pump at around 9.30pm and the bottle finished at around 6am and I would just switch it off and flush through then just just let him go back to sleep .

Could be you are putting to much in at one time so try staggering the fortisip then wait an hour and do second .My husband had terrible vomiting after treatment finished and it took a while to settle .The fortisips did not agree with him too well either after a while we used Calshakes and bolused them .

Try not to worry and get back in touch with the hospital .If the vomitting does not stop before then I would just bolus equivalent amounts of plain water to your fortisips and try running your Jevity feed through the night slowly.This will maybe help your tummy adjust .You must keep your fluids up Carl .

Hope things improve quickly Carl .It is worrying when you are vomitting and not pleasant we remeber the feeling only to well ,awful.It is just a case of getting things tweaked for you .So just get a hold of your dietician and tell her .Pity she not give you an emergency number to phone? .When you next speak to her ask her for this .
Keep us posted Carl .

Best wishes Paul and Bell .

Hi Carl,
I really feel for you right now. I vommited every day for 3 months, continuously, all day!
So i guess it makes me a vomit expert! So here goes -
There is medication that can speed the process the food passes through your stomach, so they can help. & there are anti emetics (anti sickness) drugs that taken like cockwork may help. But none of that worked for me! I was 'diffucult'.

Eventualy we figured out that by going on a pump feed through the night at a slow infusion (for me it was 150ml an hour) i managed to keep it down. I think there were just a few mornings i would wake up and be sick after that. But it meant i got all my calories at a tolerated level - at night - which meant the preassure was off through the day. It's too much to travel to R/T & back, get all the meds and expect to be able to get enough calories to maintain your weight. Too much preassure.

Ask about the pump infusion... It's such a relief!! Within about 2weeks of finally getting the right nutrition my body could start to heal!

It took a hospital admission weighing 6stn 10lb (and i'm 5ft 8), being dehydrated and only waking up to throw up! I wish i'd not left it so long before i got help!

Let us know how you get on.

Thank you all for your posts will see if i can sort something out tomorrow. Have just for now had 1 200ml bottle that will do for today i think still feel a little pukeee though, could any one tell me as i am not on a pump, that when one feeds through the night i would be afraid of something becoming disconnected as i am a bit of a restless sleeper would that be possible.

Hi Carl my husband had the same fears and i can assure you it will be fine and after a few nights you will get used to it. The pump is ideal and does not restrict you day time makes the day more comfotable to rest and read and
talk with friends etc.Once Paul was settled with this we stopped the fortisip Paul did not like it and it came back on him and was changed to the calshakes during the day ,but that will be up to your dietician but worth a mention.

At the beginning paul liked a small square of sticky backed micropore tape which we cut and popped round peg feed tube on tmmy in evening for feeding as it made him feel safer .But there was no problems at all .The spigot part of feeding tube fits tightly into peg tube .if anything it can be a bit too secure and in the morning you hold your peg flat to your tummy and just gently twist feed tube piece in to peg very gently and it slips back out.

It really is quite easy .Paul was a little nervous first couple of nights but pump sits beside your bed and there is plenty of length for you to move in bed once you have had a couple of nights you will relax Carl .

Like Chelle, Paul had terrible vomiting post treatment for 4 months which was a concern but not usual and rare. The hospice stepped in and put a syringe driver in his arm with an anti emetic plus another drug to stop the vomiting which happened every time he stood up or walked for more than 5 minutes and the anti nausea ablets were not working for him.
The district nurse came in and did this each day .I am sure you do not have this problem Carl and you just need your feeds adjusted to suit you.You probably need an anti nausea tablet at the moment also.

Eventually once Paul had peg tube removed about 9 months later he felt so strange without it as you become so used to it .So..do not worry .
Let us know how you get on Carl .

Bell and Paul.

thanks for your reply Bell and Paul. Will keep you all informed.

Hi all, Well at last i have been put on a pump now at a very slow rate of 50ml per hour, i am hoping now that i will not be sick any more. i cant believe how quick i have been sorted out, this is a much cleaner method anyway compared to the syringes, i felt like i had never got one out of my hand what with 8 bottles of forti sip and 4 flushes per day anyway its all good now

on another topic now dont know if anyone can help, i suffer from very mild anxiety and having cancer etc has made me even a little bit more anxious i take .50mg lorazepam for this but i am still a little snappy towards my wife and kids as i am all swollen on the left side neck have a tube in my belly i know its not easy for them but i wondered if anyone else has experienced this,it is as at times i feel so alone with this thing even though my wife is next to me oh i dont know i am just going on now reply please if you have any ideas.xx

Carl,

Belive me, i was Queen Bitch Of The Universe MANY times during my treatment. & my poor partner was the who felt the brunt of it.

There was one rough sunday when i'd barely woken, but to have morphine and throw up. They were all so worried.He went to get me some vitamin suppliments to try to help and boost things along. I woke up, scowled at him and shouted " WELL YOU COULD HAVE BOUGHT ME SOME BLOODY FLOWERS OR SOME CHOCOLATE OR SOMETHING" (i hadn't eaten a thing for 2 months never mind have chocolate!! )
I was horendous!
The master of the hissy fit!
Not enough energy to stand - but enough to be a complete monster to poor Amir.
He knew i never meant it towards him though ... i think?!
& i always apologised afterwards.
It's frustration and desperation that makes you lash out. & we always hurt the ones we love
I'm sure she knows you love her & when this is ovr you can make it up to her!!

So pleased you got the feeding tube sorted so quickly! Such a relief isn't it?

Hello Carl ,so pleased you have the feeding pump .It makes life so much easier for you and Paul felt the same .Do not be tempted to speed it up just keep it going at the slow rate through the night .

Regarding your emotions,this is also a down side of treatment especially at beginning of healing and as Chelle said you descend into a very dark place of depression and anger and say terrible things and can be very irrational .Paul was exactly the same Carl .Post Treatment he was in a shocking state ,he reacted very badly to RT and combined Chemo .When we came home he was basically a head in a bed who did not speak often because he couldn't, no energy and when i did eventually coax him out of bed to have a short walk and sit up he just glowered and threw up and waved his hands at me to leave him alone it was a bad time but I had been told by hospital to expect this and it would pass .It did pass Carl and i was so thankful to see him get back to his old self and you will too .It will not happen in a week or so Carl but takes time .You will come through this emotionally and you wife and family understand .Its called unconditional love and that is what your family unit is all about .
Paul was very low and was given an anti depressant which is quite common at this stage. It took around 3 weeks to Kick in for him but did help his low moods and self esteem .After a month or so as healing started and his mouth became less ulcerated and his nutrician built up so did Paul and so will you Karl .

If you investigate through the different postings you can read about everyones feelings and coping strategies and it will really help you,It certainly did for Paul and I ,to know what he was experiencing was par for this terrible course of treatment and he was not alone.
When Paul had a good day even though it was maybe for a short while he would take my hand and say sorry for being such a pain and it would mean so much to me as I knew he could not help it .
So ... in a good moment give you wife a wee hug ..you know the rest Carl,when she smiles at you and says she understands you will feel better too .

Hope the feeding goes well karl and healing progresses soon. keep us all posted .
Paul and Bell .

Carl,
I am glad the pump works for you. It didn't fo rme, I hated it. I use the bolus, but I will say they tell you at the hospital you have to have this much water and that much of that. But at first when you do it you have to go so slow. I am just now getting up to a quart of water a day, and a quart of food. It has been 7 months since I had my tube put in. My biggest problem with the pump was the laying down part. I cannot eat and lay down or I will throw up. Now I just eat 4 times a day and use the syringe. Now it goes very quickly and doesn't make me sick at all. Give it time and your body will adjust to the feeding. As you can see we all experience different things.

As for the mood swings, let me share with you something that happened in the hospital. This last surgery I had to be in ICU forever. My doctor just would not let me out till I was ready to go home. She wanted me to have that one on one care. Well my husband pretty much stayed with me the whole time. I would get so angry with him I would throw things at him. At one point the nurse came in and had to dress his wounds. I apparently threw something metal at him and it cut his arm. I don't really remember doing this, but my friend was with us at the time also. She says I just picked up something and threw it at him. No real reason.

Now we laugh and say I was paying him back for something only I could see. I am telling you this because my anger continued at home. Though once home I couldn't say I didn't remember doing it. At that point I could still talk and I would just start yelling (well what I called a yell) at him and the kids. I said awful things like I wished I would have just died. You are going to say stuff like this and mean it at the time. My best advice is to get up every morning and apologize before the day begins for what you are going to say or do later. I know my husband always came to me during the day and say it doesn't matter what you say, do, or look like, I am always going to love you. Of course sometimes that would just make me angrier. But these people love you and will forgive you, they know how much pain your in, emotionally and physically. I hope this helps.
The one good things is when you are angry you are fighting. My mom tells me she things sometimes it is the anger that got me through that part of my recovery.

Take care and keep us posted.

Leann