One of my biggest difficulties around tube feeding has been mealtimes and going out for ‘coffee’.

Mealtimes and/or ‘coffee’ are such an integral part of our interpersonal relationships. The majority of socialising we do as adults is structured around meals and or coffee. Likewise family mealtimes are integral in building family culture and strengthening family bonds.

Mealtimes also play an important role in the pacing and rhythm of our day to day existence. Not participating in mealtimes can mess with your sense of time, mess with your ability to know when you need a break and can leave you feeling isolated, withdrawn and lost.

It took a while for me to regain confidence in cooking and regain ownership over mealtimes and ‘coffee’. Yes we still eat as a family, yes I still love going out for coffee, Yes it can be awkward (mainly for whomever I’m with now as they don’t know what to do).

I have always, and absolutely continue to, thoroughly enjoy cooking for others. In fact I probably feed people more now then I did before. Food and mealtimes are so much more then the mere input of calories, they are a multi-sensory, social, connective and grounding experiences. They are the cornerstones to our day and a gateway to connecting with the world.

Can you imagine a world without ‘coffee’……. I can’t ……. please don’t let something like tube feeding stop you from utilising the experience of ‘coffee’ to connect with someone.

#feedingtubeawareness

Yes, I have a superpower ( 🤫 well I may have more than than one 😱)!!

I run my feeds 10-12hours overnight but I also will run electrolyte fluid during the day as needed. As it can be hard for me to get enough fluids in…. avoiding dehydration can be a challenge!

Once setup I will put it all in a backpack and just go about my day doing my best tourist/ student impression…..🤪 during the night the setup backpack just sits on the floor next to me making the inevitable nature calls relatively easy (you try sleeping through whilst approx 1L gets pumped into you 😂🤦‍♀️)!

#feedingtubeawareness

This is most of the equipment I utilise daily to fuel my ‘beautifully and wonderfully made’ body!

For many people, myself included, this is primarily personally funded as we fall through the gaps in the healthcare system. As you can imagine that can be very costly. More awareness is needed in the general population to help change the system!

Please take the time this week to understand tube feeding and the blessing that it is!

#feedingtubeawareness