Working with an NJ tube

Seeking Advice

Immediate question bit if you don't want to read all my ramblings

Have any of you dealt with working (nonhospital)bedside with a nasal feeding tube?

I keep my personal health shit private, this job is about the patients, not about me and my chronic illness. I won't be able to cover this with clothes like I do my pump and CGM.

Any advice, tips,tricks dealing with an NJ at work? Feeds will run while I'm sleeping - so at home, at least that's the current plan until I see the infusion dietician tomorrow. She said she needed to reevaluate a couple more things though.

Mainly rambling below here

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Majority of my coworkers have no idea i have anything beyond diabetes going on. There just isn't a need to share my personal stuff at work, my chronic illness shit doesn't impact my job and the only people that know are ones that need to know.

My supervisors have been very supportive, offered fmla, reminded me of intermittent fmla if i need either one. My immediate coworkers know I use a pump and cgm.

For the next two weeks my work environment will be of the more mellow type, I'll be working our freestanding hospice house with a max of 12 patients and 2 aides with me. Normally I work on the home side doing home visits 4 days a week, often driving 200+ miles a day. At the house I'll be working 3/12s 2000-0830.

So now I'm realizing how private a person i really am when it comes to these things in regards to work, and it's causing a bit of anxiety(who would have thought keeping private health things private would cause anxiepty 😆) .

Having worked with these women I have no doubt they will be nothing but professional, kind, and compassionate. Its my head getting to me.

It's not even the patients, most when at the point of being at the house, are minimally to nonresponsive and won't likely notice. They might have a family member or friend staying though.

Being we are going into winter respiratory season i can get away with a preventative mask if it really bugs me, but it's going to be there a few weeks

Posted Sep 14, 2026, 7:58 PM UTC

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