Tube Feeds

What is tube feeding?

Tube feeding can be a very effective therapy for people with irritable bowl disease. It can heal intestine damage, reduce swelling, make symptoms improve, and help you gain weight and height.

Tube feeding is a treatment that involves taking some or all of your daily nutrition in a liquid formula. In other words, it’s a way of giving your body the nutrition it needs. The doctors decide how much formula you must consume to stay healthy. Partial enteral nutrition (PEN) means you consume 30-50% of your calories from formula. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) means you receive all your calories from formula and do not eat regular meals. The formula enters your body through a tube, such as a nasogastric (NG) tube, which is a soft and flexible tube that goes from your nose into your stomach.

How does the tube get put in?

The tube is put in for the first time in the hospital, and this is where they teach you about what it is and how to continue them at home. Most kids say that having the tube put in is uncomfortable, but not painful. That uncomfy feeling starts to go away soon, too, as your body becomes used to having the tube there. It won’t be there forever.

Eating or drinking while tube feeding?

A lot of kids wonder if they can eat or drink anything while on tube feeds. This depends on your specific treatment plan and how much of your total calories you are consuming via the tube. Even when you are receiving all your calories from the formula (EEN), you may still be allowed to drink clear fluids or even chew gum. Ask your dietician what’s allowed for you and your body before trying anything at home 🙂

Here are a couple videos about feeding tubes:

Brief description of nutritional support & IBD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tbq_Lp7wnY

Getting an NG tube in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2bbyFFVtnc

Vlog from a teen girl about adjusting to life with a feeding tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUEL8yiEKEY