tums in an ng tube

[menardca]

Is the dumbest thing that I have every heard of. But the cherry on top is that it is 3 times a day. Crushing tums makes them chalky and a mess. Not to mention clogging the damn tube up. I have had to do this for the last 3 days and every time i start my process my mind begins to wonder 1- is there not some other medication that could be doing this better,

2- omg not again, and 3- if the doctor that wrote this stupid order had to do this just once the order would be changed due to the pure stupidity of it.

Ok I have ranted thank you. Anyone else have moments like these when doing a task and thinking boy if the doctor that wrote this order had to do this it would be changed?

[Nurseboy1]

Are they using the tums as a phosphate binder though?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Some reason why nobody has approached the physician for a different medication? Never assume that physicians know the realities of nursing care-- they are not experts in nursing.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

why not just use liquid maalox?... it's calcium carbonate too

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Is protonix crush-able??

Protonix tablets are enteric coated but, like Calcium Carbonate, it too is available in a liquid suspension form. I've come across very few meds in my day that weren't available as liquids and/or couldn't be compounded... in pediatrics, not too many little ones can swallow pills.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

We use Tums for the calcium, not for an anti-acid. A lot of our elderly patients are on Tums, because it is a good source of calcium, and it is cheap.