GI Update

Yesterday was my second appointment with Dr. Howard. I had mostly good news to report in that I continue to tolerate the Peptamen 1.5 quite well, have only had 2 incidents of reflux since starting the formula 6 weeks ago ( both the result of eating too late in the day), no nausea and only minor bloating. The down part is that I've only gained 1 kg (2.2 lbs.).

The solution? Increase the feeds by 50% to 1.5 l/day. This would give me 2250 calories plus whatever I can get orally. I forsee two potential problems with this. Firstly, at my current rate of 70 ml/hour that works out to close to 21 1/2 hours that I will have to be hooked up meaning I have 2 1/2 hours in which I can go out. Secondly, I already feel full most days so an increase of 50% means I could end up feeling bloated and over full again on a regular basis.

And so, I think I will just take things as they come. It's summer, I love being outdoors and 2 /1/2 hours is just not enough time to do the things I need or want to do. I'll make 1.5 l my end goal but am not going to lose any sleep over it if I don't reach that every day. For example, if I allow myself up to 6 hours of 'free time', which sounds much more reasonable, that still means I can get 1260 ml/day or almost 1900 cal. On those days when I stay in due to rain or whatever I can aim for the full complement. Also if I ease into this more gradually, perhaps I can avoid the potential bloating problem. The other possibility is that I can increase my feeding rate but based on past experience I am not optimistic about that possibility. My conclusion, take it slow and see what happens. The bottom line is, I am not losing at the current rate of feeding so there's no big rush to get those extra calories.

My next appointment will be in October some time so that gives me a couple of months to work on the new regime. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about it.