Following is advice and a recipe given by a woman whose husband, Tom, uses a feeding tube. Check with your doctor first to see if this recipe is right for you. PLEASE SEE HER UPDATE TO THIS RECIPE BELOW THE ORIGINAL RECIPE.

Tom and I stumbled on a little recipe we devised ourselves from a desperate search to get Tom to gain weight. It's been okay'd by his doctors only after I revised the mixture so it wouldn't bulk up in the tube and cause blockage. I hope it helps someone else.

GNC Pro Performance Weight Gainer 2200 Gold Powdered Drink Mix. (This comes in a huge 6 lbs. Container - 2200 stands for calories if made as they direct. Do not follow the directions on container it thickens like pudding and will clog your tube.

In a blender mix the following -

1 Can (8 oz.) of whatever you're using (i.e. Ensure, Sustacal, Boost, etc.)

4 oz. of whole milk - don't use 2% or less you'll lose the fat content.

1 scoop of the GNC powder mix

Mix in the blender until powder is mixed thoroughly. Then use in the feeding tube. We use several 60 cc. syringes. Then flush with 120 cc. of sterile water. We've also found out it helps to soak the sterile water syringes in hot water, while you're feeding. Tom is always cold after the feedings so we started warming the water up and it's helped. He's not so cold after eating. This mixture after blending makes about 24-26oz. of the shake. You can thin it out even more with more milk. So far this 24-26 oz. shake hasn't given Tom any bad effects and each 24-26 oz. drink gives about 1000-1200 calories. He does it once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

UPDATE:

After many doctors and trying to solve problems we have found out that milk creates phlegm. Phlegm is a big problem for those on a feeding tube. This includes all milk products. Finally when Tom got on hospice the nurse told us this and suggested we switch to Soy Milk. People who are on feeding tubes it won't affect...they can't taste it. For those not on a feeding tube, it's an acquired taste and not so bad if it's kept relatively cold. The other thing we've noticed that helps with phlegm or secretions is a little transdermal patch called "scopolamine" 1.5 mg. Since Tom has been on the soy milk and the scop patch he hasn't had as many problems. Still has the secretions but not nearly as bad as he was having prior to the changes. Be sure to get the soy milk with the most fat content to help with the weight gain. Another point to add is if you use soy milk it makes the so called "shake" kind of thick. So in the feeding tube or kangaroo pump bag it can get a little tricky. Drinking it normally doesn't seem to be a problem. So people might have to get a little inventive with mixing.

Here's our current recipe after all of Tom's changes and to date:

Morning: 8 oz. of Soy Milk mixed with one full scoop of weight gain powder.

Afternoon: Same mixture as morning.

Evening: Same mixture as morning.

We cut back on Tom's liquid intake because his stomach shrank over the time it took to regain weight. However, the best amount that I and his doctors would like to see him on is about 16-24 oz. for each feeding.

Also we've discovered that sometimes Tom gets acid reflux being on the feeding tube. We recently learned that a Pepcid AC can be crushed and inserted into feeding tube. This has helped immensely. The doctors okay' d that one. But you should consult your own doctor first.

The other thing about weight loss and trying to regain (especially on a feeding tube) is you need 8-16 oz. of additional water additional to each feeding so you don't get dehydrated. This is a problem for Tom since his stomach shrank. You can re-stretch your stomach just by adding a little more food or liquid each week.