When feeding my daughter using a g-tube, I make blended meals for her and feed them to her by bolus feeds using a large syringe.
Syringes can be reused and the cleaning and storage instructions for them will be posted here soon.
When a syringe is reused, the rubber end of the plunger frequently begins to oxidize or become tacky. This makes using the syringe a test of muscle strength and very frustrating. A very simple and effective solution for this problem is to lubricate the syringe.
Here’s how I do it: I take my spray oil (the kind used for cooking) and spray lightly on the rubber, on a couple sides of it. Using just a few drops from an oil bottle, like olive oil, works well also. Then I reinsert the plunger into the syringe, turning it and pulling it out and reinserting again to make sure the oil is evenly distributed. That’s it. Mission accomplished!
This is necessary with each use of the syringe. If the oiling is not effective, the rubber has oxidized beyond help and the syringe should be discarded.
