How to Clean and Feed Someone with Feeding Tube
Introduction
How to feed someone with a feeding tube? How to clean the feeding tube after feeding? What you can use to clean the feeding tube if your a diabetic. How to avoid an infection? Properly use bandage to protect skin from irritation on the stomach?
How to Feed Someone with a Feeding Tube/Clean Feeding Tube
Feeding tube is easier for both the caretaker and the patient. Most patients lose their appetite and cannot eat. Some patients lose their ability to eat It can be quite difficult to get them to eat. We all have been sick one time or another. Just the thought of food made you sick. Try to imagine being terminally ill.
Most people have never seen much less used a feeding tube. Now you have found yourself in a situation to where you need to learn how to feed someone and maintain the feeding tube.
Doctors usually will send you home with bandages for the stomach area along with syringes to use to medicate or feed your patient.
If your wondering you can shower while having a feeding tube. Providing the patient can get in the shower.
If a shower is not possible use a wash rag and clean under and around the tube cap area with soap and warm water.
Use gauze to apply the alcohol to clean all around the incision. Make sure you clean the cap that covers the incision with the alcohol.
Look for what is called a drain sponge. It comes in a 4”X 4”package. It looks like gauze that has a slit and a hole in the sponge.
Slide the sponge under the cap until the sponge is surrounding the hose. The sponge keeps the incision dry and it stops the cap from irritating the skin.
Now you are ready to feed your patient. People with diabetes, use Glucerna in most cases.
If they are not a diabetic, they usually use Ensure.
Find the syringe it is huge. Fill syringe with Glucerna or Ensure as directed by the doctor.
You will see a clamp on the hose. Unclamp the hose and pull open the plug at the end of the hose.
Put the syringe in where you opened the plug. Gently push down on the plunger until all the liquid is gone.
Pull syringe out of the tube. Close the clamp so none of the liquid comes out.
Rinse syringe until clean. Fill syringe up about half way with bottled water. Un-clamp the clamp on the tube. Then inject the water into the hose until flushed out. Re- clamp the hose put the plug back in at the end of the hose.
Sometime after feeding you must release the gases, that is built up in the stomach. Unclamp the hose and open the plug. Let the gases come out and re clamp the hose and close the plug.
WARNINGS
Bring something to catch any stomach fluids that might back up from the feeding tube.
TIPS
If hose becomes clogged unclog hose with coke. If they have diabetes use diet coke to clean the feeding tube.