Pharmacy mistake

Background:  Joy has been fed through a tube in her stomach for 17 years.  In March, she had to be put on low volume feeding because her stomach can’t hold much at a time.  So she gets 36 ccs of Osmolite or water per hour — for 22 hours per day.

Because of other physical problems, Joy has been confined to bed for feedings.  It’s been very limiting socially and physically.  And because Joy has been confined to bed, Ruth has also been confined much of the time.

The pharmacy mistake means a change in all that.

When Dave picked up Joy’s food at the pharmacy this week, he realized the can was different. The number was 449 instead of 409, and the label was red instead of pink.  They had ordered the wrong product.  But what they ordered is better suited for Joy’s current situation.

The 449 Osmolite is designed for low-volume feeding.  One can equals 1 1/2  cans of the other type.  So it’s more nutrution in a smaller amount.  It is exactly what Joy needs so that she doesn’t have to be confined to bed so many hours in the day.

For the technically minded, this translates into 1 can savings per day or 6.5 hours on the Osmolite.  Of course, she still needs the liquid so will need to be on more water. But overall she should be able to have more free time, perhaps as much as 4 or 5 hours per day.  

• Praise the Lord for the mistake that brought this product into our hands.
• Pray for Joy’s digestive system as she adjusts.  We are gradually switching over by mixing the 409 formula with the 449.