Before you try this, get a nurse to show you as many times as you need to feel comfortable. Your doctor should tell you how often the tube needs to be changed.
You will need:
- lubricant that is not poisonous to eat
- a tube
- pH paper (paper that changes different colours, depending on how acid a liquid is)
- 10ml syringe
- a large bowl in case the person vomits
- surgical tape
Measure on the person the length of tube you need to insert. Feel for the person's ribs. At the bottom of them, just between the two, is roughly over the stomach. Get a nurse to show you. Place the end of the tube with no valve here, and hold it in place with one hand. With the other, take the rest of the tube straight up until it touches the nose. Mark this spot with a piece of tape - this is how far the tube will be inserted. Then from the nose, take the rest of the tube across the cheek and behind the ear.
Now that you have measured you can begin. Wind the tube tightly around your index finger a few times so that it has a downward curve. Then lubricate the end. So the passage of the tube is as straight as possible, tilt the person's chin upward slightly. Begin to thread the tube up the nostril, with the downward curve pointing down. When the tube reaches the throat the person may gag. This is alright - wait until they stop and then continue. But if they cough, pull the tube out about an inch and try again. Once up to the mark, stop and tape the tube to the cheek. Using the 10ml syringe draw some fluid up the tube and squeeze a drop onto the pH paper. If the pH is very low - usually red - the tube is in the right place. If it's not, you need to remove it at once, in case you've accidentally put it into a lung. Once it's in place you can start liquid feeds straight away.
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