J-Tube Experiences/Routines

Hello everyone,

   My father has had his J-tube for about a month and we are having a terrible time keeping it "clean". It has become clogged 4-5 times already and I am wondering if any of you have tips as to how to prevent this from happening. It has become so frustrating that he no longer wants to sleep while being fed for fear he will wake up in a pool of Ensure! It's happened once before. Thank goodness he has been able to eat by mouth and consume enough calories lately. However, if he could be fed overnight via the tube he would certainly gain even more weight!

  We've been instructed to dilute his formula (which is Ensure plus) so that it's at 75% strength. In other words, 7oz. of Ensure plus with an additional 3 - 4 oz of water. His pump rate is 95mL per hour and I flush with warm water (at least 60mL) every 3 hrs! Even with this routine, his tube has become clogged. I've also tried cranberry juice, soda water, coca-cola, squeezing the tube from the bottom up (which did in fact bring up a lot of gunk!), pumping water at a slow rate, and keeping him in an upright position.

 In addition, I have never crushed any pills to put into water to pour down his tube.

  Have any of you used a different formula or different formula to water ratio?

 Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with J-tube feedings!

Ladyboom

Wow sounds like you are doing everything right. I had a J tube, and only had it get clogged once. The next morning My visiting nurse just put some warm water through it and it helped. The ensure must really be thick, can you dilute it more? I had mine at the rate of 75. Wonder if it was slowed down it would make a difference? I have also heard you can use meat tenderizer to unclogg it. Wish I was more help for you? Is there something else they can give him other than the ensure?

I have to agree too that it sounds like you are doing all you can
do.  I know when my mom had hers she we had issues of clogging.  In
about a month 's time we had a few times where it got plugged.  Two of
those times where quite difficult to clear up.  A combination of warm
water and Coke helped the first time and the second time we had to go
to the hospital to have a new one put in as it got plugged on the
inside of her abdomen.  I will add too that we were meticulous about
keeping hers flushed regularly and it still clogged?  It was
frustrating for my mom.

What about a different brand of liquid
food?  Is there a type less syrupy maybe?  You could always try slowing
the rate down some too just to see if it helps at all?  I am not too
sure what it might help but, it may be worth a try?  I hope that you
are able to
find something that helps.

My thoughts are with you both. 

Hi my grandfather has a tube as well. We flush 4 times daily via a 'plunger' as we call it. Its a large plastic syringe. Also our nurse said iff it were to clog use warm water and ginger ale and flush back and forth via the plunger. Hope this helps!