As Pam reached the weight agreed between her dietician and me and began to exceed it, I experimented with PEG-feed delivered quantities and also timed the delivery so as to suit my morning getting-up habits.
Pam was struggling to consume 3 brix of PEG-feed and that amount was also raising her weight without apparent bound, so I reduced it. I discovered that the feed pump was much more reliable than I first thought at delivering a constant rate, although the indicated rate is quite wrong. Each brik contains 237ml of food and Pam’s quantity was reduced from 3 brix to about 2.6 brix.
Now a quick calculation gives 2.6 x 237ml = 616.2ml, however this amount reads on the pump display as just 460 (ml). But what’s in a number name? That amount turns out to be the magic feed quantity to keep Pam’s weight to around 60.8kg – 61.4kg (clothing dependent) and very satisfying to my understanding of the agreement with the dietician.
Further experimentation showed that if I slowed the delivery rate to 44ml/hr (44 pump mls) and commenced the nightly PEG feed at 9:30pm, the 460ml (indicated) amount would be reached 2 – 3 minutes before 8am, which is when I normally arise to start my day. The pump is so consistent and reliable that that turn-off time is easy to replicate on a daily basis. Pam gets 460 indicated ml, (616ml in reality) each day and the world can keep turning.
(Check the maths: 10.5hrs at 44ml/hr = 462ml but it doesn’t get to go for quite that long)
Above is a "Happy Snap" just now taken to prove Pam's a happy girl - in spite of her 'desparately' needing a haircut.
Here we are next morning, it's Saturday and Pam has just had her shower and her hair washed and she's in the lounge ready to face the day.
Here we are next morning, it's Saturday and Pam has just had her shower and her hair washed and she's in the lounge ready to face the day.
She is my reason for living!
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