Vivonex?

[AgB621]

Has anyone tried this? http://www.nestle-nutrition.com/products/Product.aspx?ProductId=7a542e35-c876-454b-b0a1-b3e8895bcb64 It's an elemental liquid diet I would stay on for 2 weeks.

I know it's not precisely Crohn's related (though I think it can be used for Crohn's). I do have Crohn's but it is mild and under control; I am trying this for what my doctor thinks is a sort of general motility disorder, at her recommendation. Basically, I eat and the food just sits there, resulting in severe bloating and distension. I think the point is to both give my poor bowels a break and to deal with any bacterial overgrowth. I'm so desperate though, I'll do anything to feel better.

Anyway, I'm stressing about the thought of being only able to have this one liquid for 2 full weeks. I'm afraid I might go insane. I also worry about my ability to keep up with school during the process. I asked the nurse if it would affect my energy levels, but she claimed it wouldn't since I'd be getting enough calories. I've just started a new semester and last week was 95% sure I would withdraw and not even try, but decided I should at least give it a shot. But if I'm going to do this treatment, I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to stay in classes. I've been so sick for months, not absorbing nutrients well and constantly sleep-deprived, I can't help but feel like this would tip the scales towards just taking the semester off (especially considering I bike to school every day; it's not far, but you all know what the fatigue can be like when your bowel function is severely impaired). I'm at that point now where I recognize that even if I was miraculously cured today, it would take my body weeks to feel recovered. When I got C. Diff a few years back, I was a lot sicker but for a much shorter period of time, and it still took two months of sleeping 14 hours a night to feel better. But this chronic, every single day illness and constant state of sleep deprivation has put me into a state where I feel like a lot more damage has been done to my system as a whole, and the recovery would take even longer. I really don't know what to do. If anyone has tried Vivonex or something similar, I'd like to hear about what the experience was like (not so much whether or not it helped, since that's a highly individual thing, but rather how you felt during the process and what you did to stay on track with it).

Anyway, I meant this to be a really short post...guess it didn't turn out that way Thanks in advance.

 

[Entchen]

Heya: I haven't tried Vivonex but I spend lots of time on Ensure (like, right now). No problems with energy levels or hunger, and I hope you find same with this new product. I see it's unflavoured. Will you be able to mix it into lemonade or anything so you won't feel like you are just drinking water for 2 weeks? Hope it goes very well.

 

[Poppysocks]

I'm in the process of trying to get the stuff covered. This is what my GI recommended also, apparantly what I've researched it is one of the best enteral formulas.

I've been on an ensure plus and water diet for the last 8 days. I haven't really noticed any improvement in symptoms. Except I seem to be more constipated. I hope moving to something more specialized like Vivonex takes care of things.

I'm thinking of also getting an NG tube, for some extra kcals. This is literally one of my last options before trying out other drugs that probably won't work/surgery, so I'm hoping to god this works for me.

 

[AgB621]

Here's the information I got from the doctor, it looks like I will be able to flavor it:


VIVONEX PLUS PROTOCOL


VIVONEX PLUS is an elemental diet for total nutrition. It is useful in patients with gastrointestinal impairment. You are using this product to manage small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Vivonex is pre-digested so that it gets absorbed in the upper part of the small intestine. Based on this, we assume it works for getting rid of bacterial overgrowth by starving the bacteria which are further down in the small intestine.

You will take the Vivonex Plus for a minimum of 14 days. The majority of patients respond well with the 14 day therapy, however you might be asked to continue the Vivonex for an extended period up to 21 days total.
You will take a Hydrogen Breath Test on day 15 to assess if eradication of the bacteria is achieved. This test will determine whether you can resume your usual diet or not.

You will be advised by our nurse on how to administer and how much Vivonex to take. Each packet contains 300calories. This product is usually not covered by insurance.

Preparing Vivonex:

1. Use one cup or 250cc of water (bottled water) per packet. Remember, no matter how much water you mix with 1 packet you still will get 300 calories.
2. Use shaker or blender to measure the amount of water needed.. Sometimes tap water has a bad taste so you may want to use bottled or distilled water.
3. Add the packet of vivonex to the water.
4. Add 1/2 to 1 packet of desired "flavor packet" to the mixture. The flavor packet will enhance the taste of the mixture. Try using half of a flavor packet first as some patients find a full flavor pack too intense.
5. Shake about 20 seconds. You can add ice to the mixture and blend it again so that it will become slushy. The mixture definitely tastes better cold.
6. Sometimes using a straw is helpful.


Drink plenty of water while on this diet. You can't have any other liquid or solid while on this diet. You can't drink tea, soda, or coffee. You can't chew gum or have breath mints.
Brushing teeth is OK, using mouth wash is OK as long as you don't drink it.
You may take your prescribed medication while on this diet. If you have any question regarding your medication, please discuss with the physician.


Some side-effects:

1. Headache- common particularly in the first week of the diet. You may take Tylenol.
2. Diarrhea- this is also common in the first week of the diet, it may become explosive at times that you might want to be around restrooms when this happens.
3. Since all the mixture is absorbed, some patients have little or not bowel movements at all. Do not be alarmed. If you feel uncomfortable, call your doctor.
4. Abdominal cramps are sometimes experienced.
5. Some patients even feel heartburn with this treatment.

The first week of the diet usually is the toughest week. Your symptoms might get more aggravated during this time. The reasons for this are not clear although we suspect the bacterial die off may exacerbate your original symptoms during that week. Usually you will experience the benefit from the diet on the 3rd week or sometimes earlier than that. Sometimes you feel no benefit until the diet is complete since the vivonex itself can produce symptoms. However, patients often notice that their bloating is relieved with 24-48 hours of starting the vivonex.