Since an eldery member of my family had an NJ tube fitted, it has become severely blocked several times (requiring admission via A & E and a hospital stay whilst they wait for a tube replacement). On each occasion it appears to have been directly linked to prescribed medication (for general health conditions not related to the cancer), despite the administering instructions being followed, and flushing well before and after each dose. Sometimes we're told by the medical professionals we encounter once the tube is blocked, that the formulation of medication we were provided with, shouldn't have been used with a small-bore NJ tube at all. Although the medications being prescribed are supposedly in liquid form, they never seem to be truly liquid, but rather suspensions that don't dissolve in water, or the granular contents of capsules that don't properly disperse within water. We're desperate to reduce the number of blockages; it's getting to the point where taking any medication fills us with dread. Any advice would be appreciated please.
Hi AdvicePlease and a very warm welcome to the online community which i hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
I'm sorry to read that your relative is struggling with taking medication via an NJ tube.
I can't help with your questions but noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet, so thought I'd suggest that you also post this in the ask a nurse section of the online community. If this is something that you'd like to do clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there.
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Hi AdvicePlease, other avenues of help could be; a dietician based at the hospital, where your relative had their NG tube put in, who just deals with NG tubes and/or a specialist nurse at the same hospital who can advise also. District nurses(practical help) and GPs (he/she may be able to review and/ or remove unecessary medications) may also help. Good luck. It can often happen especially with narrow bore tubes but there are solutions to avoid that awful trip to A&E for a new one to be put in.
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