Hello guys,
I am posting this question in regard to my father who is 76 years old. He's a diabetic patient and is currently under control. Two years ago my dad had a brain stroke due to high diabetes and eventually, he got paralyzed after he came across with a second brain stroke. He currently has a shunt installed into his brain to help control the water level that comes to his brain.
He does not talk and can't move his body by himself at all. My mother and us taking care of him to the fullest and give him the best nutrition. He also can't eat or swallow the food by himself. Therefore, he is getting fed through a feeding tube that is directly installed into his stomach. Sometimes my mom feeds him a tablespoon of the liquid food just to taste but sometimes he pukes it back because he cannot swallow. Therefore, doctors recommend us to feed him only through the feeding tube.
My question is, we give him very good food (liquid food) with good protein and nutrition. But my dad is very very skinny. Skinny as in he looks like a skeleton and sometimes it is even scary to look at him with that sudden weight loss. What could be the problem? Is this normal for paralyzed patients with feeding tubes? No matter how much good food we give him, he never gains any weight at all.
I would really appreciate it if someone can help us understand what we do wrong? When we speak to our doctors, they usually tell us that due to his age and the inability to eat using his mouth, this is kind of normal. Please someone give us some tips to get him back to his normal healthy weight.
Thank you so much.
The condition is diagnosed based on a patient’s BMI (body mass index).
I was very grateful that my LO was in hospice in a very good skilled nursing facility.
She was not tube fed, but received an excellent diet and consumed a certain number of calories, but her weight loss was not reversible.
From what I learned from my experience the condition will not improve. You are most likely doing nothing wrong, but nothing should be offered because it will very likely go down the wrong way, and CANNOT help him gain weight.
I am so sorry you have to endure this. He very likely is unaware of his circumstances.
Also you should only be giving him the liquid "food" that is prescribed by his doctor for the feeding tube. Anything else can be quite dangerous and could actually kill him.
Is he continuing to lose weight? Are you giving him the amount of food through his tube that you are supposed to? Have you talked to the doctor about this?
I know my friend's mom wasn't gaining weight because she could not assimilate her food and needed to take something to help that happen. Sorry for being so vague but I can't remember the specific terms.
Good luck.