Since I also work in the media industry, I know a lot of creative people. Every now and then, they get into a so-called “flow” during their creative work. They then forget everything around them. Sometimes even the food. Surely it’s not just creative professionals who feel this way, but also other people who (have to) work in a very focused way and for whom there are no fixed structures for (meal) breaks. But I still remember an interview I did with a musician very well. He told me that he sometimes even forgets to eat. At that moment, I thought to myself: “What a show-off. How can you forget to eat?” And then that’s exactly what happened to me with my PEG feeding…
No active act
Unlike oral eating, for people who feed themselves through a feeding tube, eating is not an active act. Those who feed themselves through a tube do not necessarily have to sit at the table in front of a plate. No food has to be cut up. And no one has to put food in their mouth, chew it and swallow it. The latter is, after all, the whole purpose of the PEG. For us tube friends, eating can be a side issue. Literally. So it doesn’t have to be given much attention. This means that eating can be forgotten.
Hunger
As I have already described in another post, we who feed ourselves through a feeding tube naturally feel satiated at some point. We also feel hunger. But hunger is a tricky thing. On the one hand, it doesn’t appear immediately. Especially in people who, thanks to their feeding tube, are basically well nourished. On the other hand, hunger is not as strong a sensation as, for example, pain or the urge to urinate. So it can relatively easily go unnoticed for a while. And those whose stomachs are rumbling don’t necessarily have to be in a (creative) workflow. Often, an exciting series or a lively phone call is enough to make you forget that it would actually have been time to feed your stomach again.
An important role
However, an adequate calorie intake plays an important role, especially for people who are fed via a tube. And, like oral eaters, we can’t just eat twice as much next time. If other daily routines, such as positioning or medication administration, depend on (punctual) food intake, forgetting a meal can have far-reaching consequences. Nevertheless, it’s not the end of the world if it happens. But of course it should be avoided.
Strict schedules
For this reason, many people who have a PEG in their lives have strict schedules. This can sometimes be a burden. Because, as with all people, not every day is the same for those who have a tube. Sometimes you sleep a little longer. Sometimes you may not have an appetite at mealtime.
I have several strategies
That’s why I’ve found several strategies work well for me in my daily routine. First of all, I don’t have a fixed schedule, but I do have fixed routines. For example, at a certain point in the morning, I have breakfast without it being linked to a fixed time. The same applies to the evening, before I have to take a special medication.
In addition, I try to keep my artificial nutrition as natural as possible. This means that I eat my food relatively quickly (I have already written about this in more detail in this article here). This way, I stay hungry, which sooner or later makes itself felt. If I know that I have an eventful day ahead of me where I might forget to eat, I sometimes set an alarm on my cell phone. Simple but effective.
Finally, I also have my assistants as a back-up. They know that I have to eat a certain amount per day. So if they see that I’m still missing a meal that I would normally have already had by this time, they remind me and ask if I want something to eat. Since I have several assistants with me throughout the day and they too are sometimes unsure whether they have already given me something to eat or not (after all, the preparation and follow-up for a PEG is considerably less than cooking and washing up), we have a small diary. In it, the food, fluids and medication are always noted. A very simple but absolutely practical tool in life with a PEG.
Comments