Learning to Use the Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube

By: Kevin Cleary

Healthy living has become synonymous with healthy eating. The social media, print media, health journals are all full of the super foods we should eat for maintaining good health. It is all doable as long as we have the ability to orally ingest, chew and digest all those nutritious foods. What happens if we can't do that ? We often times take for granted our body’s ability to intake food and nutrients. Many times due to a health issues such as a spinal cord injury, stroke, or some other type of trauma or disease, we may not be able to swallow properly or safely to ingest food and nutrients. When this happens we need to find a suitable substitute for administering vital proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients. This is where the Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube enters the equation. It allows a caretaker or patient to administer vital nourishment the body needs.

Need for a Feeding Tube

A feeding tube allows important nutrition to be administered directly to the stomach via a procedure called a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy or a PEG. Depending on your individual case, you may still be encouraged to ingest orally, but that needs to come from your doctor. The Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube makes administering nutrition as well as medication overtly obvious with different labeled ports.

The Anatomy of a Feeding Tube

As with anything, being able to properly use something can only benefit and make things easier by understanding its parts and how it works. The Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is no different. Some of its specifications include:

• Medical grade silicone construction
• 3 clearly marked ports (balloon, feeding, and medication ports)
• Internal retention balloon and external retention ring
• Recessed and tapered distal tip with dual exit port
• 9 ½ inch length
  

These specifications make this an easy to use feeding tube as well as increasing patient comfort during insertion. The ventilated external ring allows air to circulate around the stoma site with 360° pressure relief in addition to holding the feeding tube itself. This unique design allows for less irritation of the gastric wall as well as minimizing erosion. The retention balloon safely and securely holds the feeding tube in the stomach and incorporates an anti-reflux valve to prevent food from leaking out of the stomach when not in use. These feeding tubes are available in a variety of tip sizes and are color-coded accordingly. This is not a one-size-fits-all apparatus; each patient’s needs are different and specific to their own case. This way comfort and ease of use are maximized. Below is the size chart and color code:

Preventive Maintenance for Longevity

Even though the Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is simple to use, regular daily cleaning can prolong the use of each tube and therefore make it more economical. Obviously, care to keep the skin around the tube and stoma site clean are critical to minimizing the risk of infection. Bacteria and germs are your enemies!! A wash in warm soapy water followed by a simple rinse and air dry is all that is necessary to keep the assembly clean and functioning. Care should be taken to clean the anti-reflux valve in order to keep it operating properly. Cleaning the extension set is simple just using a cotton-tipped applicator immediately after each use. Not only will keeping the gastrostomy feeding tube clean from bacteria avoid serious medical issues down the road, it can minimize replacement and cost.

Whatever the reason for a feeding tube, The Kimberly-Clark Gastrostomy Feeding Tube is an easy to use and simple to maintain option. With its snug for, the need to minimize activity is diminished and your doctor will work with you to precisely fit the apparatus to your specific needs. Quality of life and peace of mind have never been simpler.

Using the Carpal Solution Carpal Tunnel Wrist Support

By: Kevin Cleary

For anyone that uses a computer mouse, keyboard, or is an avid gamer the pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome can be debilitating at times. The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation in the hand and fingers. Not only can this disorder be painful, but it can interfere with daily tasks and even impede work performance. The use of a carpal tunnel brace can markedly improve the symptoms of this syndrome and Carpal Solution offers a simple and easy to use wrist brace to be worn during sleep. This home based, carpal solution therapy is dependable and effective.

The Anatomy of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

To fully understand the pain and discomfort associated with CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), we should know what causes this malady. The median nerve runs from our forearm to the palm of our hand and normally passes through the wrist at the carpal tunnel. This is a narrow passageway of bones and ligaments at the base of our hand that allows the median nerve to pass through as well as the tendons that move our fingers.

It is at this point that when the median nerve gets impinged that causes carpal tunnel syndrome. Imagine a simple and easy-to-use apparatus to alleviate this discomfort. That’s exactly what the Carpal Solution Carpal Tunnel Wrist Support is designed to do. Its simplicity and ease-of-use make it possibly the best carpal tunnel brace available. This carpal tunnel wrist brace is not only effective and FDA approved, but simple to apply which improves the probability of patient compliance. You no longer need rigid splint and braces to overcome CTS.

How Will This Benefit You?

The Carpal Solution hand brace can alleviate the pain associated with CTS in as little as 1-2 weeks without the need for surgery. As opposed to other rigid, immobilizing braces for carpal tunnel,  this apparatus is a carpal tunnel wrist brace for night.

It works by gently stretching and reshaping the soft tissue around the carpal tunnel at three different points of the palm of the hand where the distal median nerve is housed. By relieving this pressure, pain associated with CTS can be alleviated. The patient success rate is over 97%. This is no gimmick, this is a patented medical technology that is the only clinically documented treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome that is available over-the-counter.

To apply carpal tunnel splint:

• Step 1: First place wrist support on back of hand and then attach first strap below pinky finger, securing it to palm. Cut excess tape with scissors taking care not to damage strap if you tear excess tape without scissors.
  
• Step 2: Grab second strap (located below thumb) and stretch to correct tension. Circle on wrist support will now be oval. When tension is correct, adhere tape to palm below thumb. Once again use scissors to cut away excess tape
  
• Step 3: Stretch last strap between thumb and forefinger and apply tape to palm area. Cut away excess tape with scissors and if everything is done properly nothing should overlap.
  

Once all tape is secure, a gentle stretching action should be felt. The Carpal solution wrist support should be worn every night for the first two weeks, then every other night for two weeks. Your carpal tunnel syndrome symptom progression should be reversed while you are asleep!! Talk about easy!!

The story of the cobbler who goes to sleep and wakes up with a store full of shoes made by elves may be just a fairytale, but going to sleep and waking up with less pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome is reality. This wrist brace for carpal tunnel is so simple and easy to use you don’t even need to be awake for it to be effective!! Any treatment that is easy and effective massively improves patient compliance which means symptom alleviation faster.