Jasmine managed three days without her NG, drinking out of the doidy cup and was doing really well. It was relaxing too just pouring milk into a cup and giving it to her to drink. No need to carry about: 20mls syringes, a backpack of milk, a food pump, a flush of sterile water, and tester strips. No, just pop the milk in a cup and watch her guzzle away – what a doddle. It was a nice break. It was also very nice to be tubeless so I could see that people stare at Jasmine because she is absolutely the most gorgeous thing in the room/tube/bus/street. Moreover, after they stare they come over to tell us that. Four people did today when we went for a morning coffee and yesterday she impressed a lady in the library with her cup drinking talents.
Tonight, we put the tube down because she was going to miss her daily feed target. This is because she is still on antibiotics and also nystatin (to prevent thrush – a common side effect of antibiotics), which we put in her mouth. Nystatin makes her vomit more than usual and vomiting is quite tiring and reduces the amount she keeps down. When she is on dialysis she vomits more and feeds less too, so it is harder to get her to drink from her doidy cup. Normally we give her a feed before we go to bed and then when she wakes at 6am. She was only drinking half of what we give her, because dialysis leaves her feeling full and a bit pukey, and last night I had to wake her to make sure she met her daily feed target. And since she is on dialysis for 13.5 hours, we don’t have enough hours not on dialysis to get her feed down her.
Anyway, the NG is back down, she wasn’t impressed and coughed a lot, but didn’t cry when I put it down. I did it really quickly and I think she was more surprised then anything even though I did it alone (normally Neil holds her) and she was trying to pull it back out of her nose, in a very cute fashion. Now she is snoozing away, drinking her milk through her nose and we have all relaxed.
Feeding her via a cup is just fantastic and now we have the tube down, it takes the pressure off so we can all relax and enjoy feeding time again safe in the knowledge that we are guaranteed to give her all the feeds she needs.
absolutely awesome that you are still trying to get her to take things orally, it will really help post transplant to start eating and drinking when she feels better! Never had heard of a doidy, they look like fun, maybe I should get one for me, just kidding! Kepp smiling, good job handeling the nurse situation…never easy, very necessary! Whats her weight up to these days? Will they transplant at 22 lbs?