Please help with eating problems and TBI?

[sooyoon09]

I am Korean in case anyone can help or has references. I am getting help from another user and trying fixing things with my husband so I'm very happy for this community. I Would like to know if anyone can help my situation until we can get further help. My son and I have always been very very close even though we have not seen each other in a long time before the injury and I wish to not forget him and do what I can for him and make him comfortable.

 

My son is 25. He is slightly underweight because he was recovering from an eating disorder and some damage before the injury. A bit back ago he came home from the hospital after he have suffered severe TBI. He suffers vision problems for which she is getting another appointment in a few days, he can see us and a family member and reacts. He also responds to me talking to him and reading to him even though he cannot understand or speak. He is often dead weight as he gets very confused but he has been a little more alert recently. I would like some help understanding or help with the feeding. I am scared to use a tube because I do not like the sound of it and he has been prone to ulcers and infections before and I know these can cause those problems.

 

He lays down mostly but now for some hours through the day he will sit back reclined with support from pregnancy pillows or sit reclined in my arms. There are more opportunities to try having a meal when sitting but most don't go well. He is capable of opening his mouth for spoon or a suringe. He will move food with his tongue or lightly with his jaw. I cannot get him to take more than 5 bites of food in that time. It will be mashed vegetables or blending rice with a little salt.  He will take a few drinks of Gonttomil shake or milk every couple hours, from a serving spoon or a handled lid cup. No soup or juice or shake I make. He will not have water unless it is in the food or milk or Gonttomil shake. He had some of his favorite food yesterday which was much easier to keep focus but cannot eat that all the time. He will not eat anything my husband feeds him and he will stop any eating when husband is even at home, fortunately husband is mostly working or going out for the night.

 

He made a little progress the first week home but has since went back or stopped. I made ice pops and he liked them but could not handle the cold. I bought a mesh pacifier dummy for fruits and vegetables that I can use instead of the spoon and he seems to enjoy it but cannot do it for very long at one time. He likes to help hold the handles of his cup by holding my hands but has a very loose grip.

 

The minimum he will eat is half the shake and some mash from the dummy or five bites. He is not terribly hungry because he will get an unsettled mood swing or fall asleep during feeding or after a failed attempt at eating. I understand he has a small stomach but he needs to eat. The biggest meal he had was at yesterday morning and it had a whole serving of shake, a mash of 2 radishes and cucumber, mashed nashi, and a few bites of my salad and mushroom soup. 

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hello, @sooyoon09. The advice you are requesting is beyond the scope of Allnurses. Please reach out to your son's care team for assistance. We wish you and him the best. Thread closed.