Although we’d managed to bring some Jevity with us on the flight, and some of the new Ensure puddings, both W and I were worried about easy access to food in England. And with good reason. Ensure Plus isn’t all that readily available in any bulk amount. Our first night in London we checked a Boots pharmacy in the Victoria shopping mall. I bought about nine bottles, their entire stock.
I knew my puddings, Jevity, and Ensure would last about five days. And I assumed that when we got to York, Ensure Plus would be in the grocery stores or at Boots. That adage about assuming is so true. We couldn’t find any Ensure or Ensure Plus in the grocery store and the pharmacy only had five bottles in stock.
A piano player in York
Since we were climbing at least three hundred steps a day and walking a good two to five miles a day, I was going through food much quicker than usual.
On the up side, the drug stores can get Ensure Plus overnight in any quantity and amount. In fact, if you order early in the morning, it’s there by later afternoon.
What I learned so far is that I can go anywhere with my tube, as long as there is a drugstore close by to order food.
Morning sun in the York train station
I also learned to pump two cans per feeding instead of one. I could then go for several hours w/out having to eat again, regardless of how fast we walked or how many stairs we climbed. I also learned to carry the Ensure puddings, two of them, in my purse. If you can swallow water or juice, you can eat these and they eliminate the need for a private place to pump food.
Seven days into the trip and all is going remarkably well. I want to officially retract my previous advice about flying overseas. If you’re in good health, do it! You can adapt easily to spacing out your feedings and eating more at one time.
Hi there! First off I want to thank you for sharing your remarkable experience with everybody! I’m sure your are a great inspiration to your family and friends!
This was the only post I have found regarding traveling while tube feeding and such. My father-in-law is a post throat cancer patient and is currently tubefeeding and has been speaking through the use of electrolarnyx for 15 years but hes staying strong and positive. He’s definitely an inspiration! I want to give him the chance to travel overseas so I plan to buy tickets for him and his wife. I am concerned that he won’t be able to bare the flight. He had mentioned that a patient in the same condition that flew out of country had to be landed immediately after take off because he felt pressure in his head due to his condition. So if possible I would like to know your opinion based on your traveling experience. Thank you so much! And I wish you all the blessings in health and in life. God Bless!
I don’t have anything in my throat, except a lot of scar tissue, so I’ll be responding based solely on my experience with a feeding tube. Did you read all my posts about traveling with a tube and care of the tube? Some good experience based info there.
I’ve flown from Dallas to Las Vegas twice since having a tube inserted and then the long distance trip overseas. Since we are not wealthy, we didn’t buy non stop tickets. That may have been a fortunate choice. Getting off the plane and getting to eat privately was good for me to keep my stomach from cramping up in one position. Also try to reserve the bulkhead seats. It’s worth the extra money on an overseas flight. They’re the very front seats in economy. Huge amt of floor space and leg room.
I can’t think a single reason why your dad couldn’t go. The pressure had to be coming from some other source than the larynx. Keep in mind that I got my medical degree on Ebay, so what I tell you is based solely on theory and personal experience. If I were you, I’d take dad to an ENT doc and have him checked out. That doctor can tell you best whether there’s an possiblity of problems. Also, make sure dad doesn’t have a sinus condition before he flies and take an antibiotic w you just in case.
Other than that, if he has a high energy level, he should have a blast. You can order his food at the local apothecaries and they will have it there in one day. So you don’t have to travel with a lot of food. Take an extra tube kit, just in case.
Hope I’ve answered your questions. If not, just email me and I’ll try to address the rest. Good luck. What a thrill to take him somewhere special.
Thank you so much for posting this blog. My Husband had head and neck cancer and now has scar tissue, as well, that prevents swallowing whole food. He can swallow”smoothie” consistency food, but is mainly tube fed. I have a million questions Can you/ will you email me?
thank you so much.
My reply to you didn’t post properly so here’s a paraphrase. Of course, I’d be delighted to answer questions. Any way at all that I can help, feel free to ask.
Thank you so much for putting your experience into words. My husband was diagnosed in March with Stage 4 larynx cancer – and so far still has his vocal chords after 3 months induction chemo and 33 rads with weekly chemo. He never got the PEG, but today his doctor recommended a throat stretch to help him with swallowing, which is how I found your wonderful blog. I like “CAN-Survive!”
Ashley, it looks you are too young to have these kind of problems. I will keep your husband in my prayers. I hope the throat stretch works well for him.