TPN

Jackson has been on TPN before at the hospital. TPN as I mentioned before is basically all of Jacksons' nutrition pumped through tubes into his central line. Because Jackson hasn't been eating, they sent us home on the TPN.

We have never had to do TPN at home, and it is definitley a learning process.

Last night the Home Health Nurse came to our house and taught us how to prime the pumps and get Jackson hooked up to his TPN. The TPN runs continuously for 12 hours from 8PM to 8AM and comes in two seperate bags- one for Lipids, and one for Electrolytes. And because Jackson doesn't have an IV pole here at home, he gets to sport a very stylish backpack that contains the pumps and the bags of fluid.

Lipids are a fatty substance that is white and it is sensitive to lights.

Electrolytes look like water, but then you add the vitamins that come in two tiny little vials, and the clear electrolytes change color to a pale yellow.

Even though the pumps run the fluids into Jackson for 12 hours there is still a little bit of fluid left over in the morning. The nurse suggested that we either throw the left over TPN in the garbage, or we could use it as plant food because of it's high nutritional value. So, this morning I dumped the left overs into my one and only plant- we'll see if it really does help.

I am just glad that even though he isn't eating, he can get some nutrition from another source.

Here are all the supplies:

And the Lipids:

Getting the vitamins ready to add to the electrolytes:

Adding the vitamins:

Shaking the bag to mix it together:

Adding new tubing to the pump:

Priming the TPN pump:

Putting the tubing into the bag:
Making everything fit into the backpack:

Hooking Jackson up- cleaning the caps:

Flushing the lines with saline first:

Now hooking up the TPN tubes:


Pushing the "Start" button: Jackson took this picture, and was so proud of it!


Wearing the backpack. It weighs almost as much as he does.