How do I get a liquid capsule inside a PEG tube?

[abirke]

I'm not sure if I can open a gelcap as they're called and I cannot find any info even from the company....if anyone has an answer, please share....

Thank You ,

AVB

[Amilazy]

Hi AVB simple answer - not easily. You need to ask your pharmacist or nurses/doctors who inserted the PEG what the alternative meds that can be used. Do not cut top off the gel cap and pour contents into a glass to administer as the gel is used to get the med to a point in the gut. B's doctor may also be able to help. If he can still swallow the gel tabs take them as usual but from your query I assume he cannot.

Good luck Tim

[Kathryn in reply to Amilazy]

I agree with the previous comment. The pharmacist should be able to help. My husband got meds in liquid form when he could no longer swallow . We also got good support with any of these difficulties from the nutritionist

[abirke in reply to Amilazy]

So can I boil it as was suggested?

[jillannf6 in reply to Amilazy]

i dont like the idea of a peg a tall

loll,jill

zxxxxx

[burcumuslu]

Hi

Put it in boiled water it will dissolve completely you can mix a bit with spoon.

My mom has vitamin D capsule that I use this way to give from peg.

Wait until it gets cold before injecting into the peg

[ketchupman in reply to burcumuslu]

Great idea! I just gave up on giving my wife her vitamin D. Will start doing this.

[Amilazy in reply to ketchupman]

Hi Ketchupman what does Vit D help with? Is it something I should try with M? Only thought it was for bones rickets etc and get enough even in cloudy UK from sun.

Thanks Tim

[ketchupman in reply to Amilazy]

Yes, it's for her bones. But Kim always had pretty good bones, so it was never essential that she took it. She had a bone scan a few years ago and it looked good. And with the 100's of falls she has had over these years, she's never broken a bone yet. (knock on wood) So taking it for her was just an extra precaution.

[ketchupman in reply to ketchupman]

And there are other options besides the gel capsule. Her gel capsule is a once a week dosage of 50,000 units. But you can also get a daily dose in tablet form that could easily be crushed.

[abirke in reply to ketchupman]

Bruce hasn't broken a bone either....He is more solid than ALL the walls he's crashed through together! Now as for me, My knees are bearing the brunt of his two hundred lbs (well 165lbs)....90kgs....and thats with him learning how to

climb to a standing position!

AVB

[ketchupman in reply to abirke]

Yep. I got pretty good at drywall repair. Years ago when Kim was more independent and mobile, she would have those backward falls. I'd have a perfect circular hole (the size of the back of her head) on the wall that would have to be repaired. Fortunately those rarely caused much bleeding and didn't require a trip to the ER. Usually the ER trips were from when she would fall back and hit a door jam or sharp edge on furniture and other objects.

[abirke in reply to ketchupman]

Indeed, B would always do more damage to the house and it's contents than to himself....for that I am grateful.....corners, and door jambs, worse was the door 'jambing' the thumb....we're still paying for the reattachment thereof.....The doctor did an excellent job.....can't even see a scar! And of the 8 dining room chairs, there's two left....oh well ...BYOC on holidays etc.

AVB

[Clahey in reply to Amilazy]

The role of vitamin D in skeletal health is well established, but more recent findings have also linked vitamin D deficiency to a range of non-skeletal conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and metabolic disorders including diabetes. Cognitive impairment and dementia must now be added this list. Vitamin D receptors are widespread in brain tissue, and vitamin D's biologically active form [1,25(OH)(2)D3] has shown neuroprotective effects including the clearance of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease.    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/225...

[Clahey in reply to ketchupman]

VitaminD dissolves in oil/fat, not water, and it can be purchased in liquid form online or in a healthfood store

[abirke]

Thank you to everyone for their comments. I am still a bit confused. is the gelcap essential part of the transfer? Couldn't a non-tubed person dissolve in water and swallow? Yes , you are right ask my pharmacist!

Thank you again for the replies,

AVB

[dadaroo]

I read the comments and I do agree with the first comment. Also, the best person would be the Dr who put the peg in. They are very much encounter these type of questions and have lots of information. Sometimes the pharmacist is not familiar but of course they can always find out. I think you can liquidify it first with water but I am not sure which vitamin is. Talk to your Dr.

Best to you.

[ketchupman in reply to dadaroo]

For us, it was a General Surgeon who put the tube in. And other than the 3 minutes I got to talk to him while she was in recovery, that was the last we heard of him. When I had a question for his office staff, they referred me to the provider who would be providing us when the feeding supplies. So most of her drug concerns, I rely on our friendly pharmacist.

[dadaroo]

Sorry, I should have read all the responses first. If one takes a gel capsule that does not have the peg, the gel helps to push down into the stomach and gets resolved in with your stomach juices. so the gel is made to make it easy to transfer it down your throat. Of course, I would check with your Dr. or pharmacist whether this form of vitamin D will lose its benefit or not! perhaps a dry pill form would be better. I do not know but ask your Dr. and he can direct you beautifully.

Best.

[Valbri]

Glad to hear from caregivers who are dealing with peg tubes. What type of tube? My husband usually ends up with a long foley tube which is not meant for enteral feeding.He has a compulsion to pull on the tube and it comes out and off then to the emergency and another temporary foley tube is inserted. I want to make a case for the surgeon to insert a skin level peg tube.? We have been 5 times to the ER since Christmas. How often do your loved ones need to have their peg tube replaced?

[abirke in reply to Valbri]

Whats a foley tube. My husbands tube is about 1 cm wide with the hole slightly smaller. His tube is about 12-14 inches long....I had to make a belt for him so it would get in the way of toileting.

If your husband has a compulsion to pull and yank. Think how to make it either less inteeresting or more interesting .

Either tape it so he cannot get to it or or put a stimulus that's fun and safe to fiddle with near the PEG.

My husband does not fiddle with his so I can only imagine. However I did create a belt...I wrote about it in a post somewhere so beg my pardon for repeating. however, I used a sash from an old robe, sewed velcro on it; and then weaved the tube up and down through the non velcroed spaces (ending with the tube opening in the up position.....)

However if he fiddles with the entrance part of the tube, wrap a scrunchy or other soft flexible material around the tube, or a harder material so when he grabs on he can't depress the peg and pull ....Also I find my husband likes to feel things....I am thinking about making him a "book" of tactile stimulants...velvet on one page, sand paper on another buttons sewn on another anything that interests him...If your hubby has something like this, he may get less interested in the tube.....

B says it only hurts when I clean it ...Sorry.......But that's sort of reassuring...that PEG is not causing constant pain....

Ihope some of my ideas helps you come up with your own...remember to think outside the box or tube hahah

AVB

[abirke in reply to abirke]

that should read , "so it would NOT get in the way of toileting".....ooh

[ketchupman in reply to Valbri]

My wife's is about a foot long. I don't think you would want it much shorter. Try getting one of these to keep it tucked in. smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0...

[abirke in reply to ketchupman]

Yah I thought I could do as good a job making B's belt....I'm sure I did not, but it didnt' cost me as much either....one thing i Learned.....sewing through velcor is not easy.......I actually had to use needle nose pliers to get needle through the material...... I figured the sticky backed velcroe would lose its "umph" after the 5th pull open or same amt of washings. But the one on amazon does have a pocket-like attachment for those who fiddle ....

[dadaroo]

Hi Ketchupman, I just did a little bit of research about the vitamin D and peg. University of Louisville, USA has an extensive research on Peg. My father was on peg tube. His doctors, nurses, pharmacist and the person who delivered his food were all helpful. if one did not know the answer to a question, they would find out and gave me all the info I needed to care for my father. A nutritionist would be a qualified person to tell you what to do as well. I took a nutrition course this past September and there is a lot that goes on that you need to know in order to suggest something. I know for example if you liquefy the liquid food that is delivered, with water the chance of infection becomes greater. So, I would incline to say, ask someone who is experienced. I give you a lot of encouragement for what you are doing for your wife. It is a lot and it is so wonderful that you are there for her. Love and support

[ketchupman]

Thanks! And btw, that's were I went to college. Graduated with a degree in IT Mansgement. Wife was being treated by UofL's neurology doctors, but they all quit back in 2012 and we had to find a new one elsewhere.