The Cost of Drinking

Nathan loves to drink, in fact he is very clear in how he communicates his desire to drink by signing...

"More"

"drink"

"please"

"Mmmmmm "

He consumes a total of 1300 to 1350 calories a day. 420 of those calories go through his g-tube in the form of goat milk along with one scoop of Duocal (palm and coconut oil powder). The rest goes in by mouth in the form of his "drink" and solid food. Insurance is kind and pays for his Duocal at approx $140 per month. We pay approximately $200 a month for the following ingredients for his drink:

Wowie, zowie...$340 a month for the boy to drink! But if you add the rest, the part that insurance covers for his g-tube...$330 per month for feeding bags, $30 for syringes, $120 for pump extensions and $350 for the pump rental, it's $1170 for the boy to get his liquid nutrition of 420 calories per day into his belly! Oh yah, I forgot the $180 every three months for a new g-tube :) But then again, we pay 20% of the total cost after insurance every month so add another approximately $190 to the mix and we are to a grand total of $390 a month out of our pocket for his liquid nutrition. Wooohooo! I wont go into the cost of his meds (that insurance doesn't cover) and other expenses... I might fall over if I actually write it down and see it in print.

If we chose to have him on a formula, our insurance would cover the entire cost. However, every formula we have tried either causes him to vomit or break out in a rash/hives. So after many trials and errors, this is what we have come up with. It is nutritious and what he needs. The coconut milk yogurt is used as a thickener. All of the other thickeners cause his reflux to get out of control. But on top of his gluten and dairy free diet of solid food, this boy is expensive to feed!

Alas, it's all worth it. He's growing, learning to eat, learning to drink, and most of all thriving! He's making his way to someday being g-tube free. So here's to you big buddy...no matter what it costs!