The Little Stand That Eased the Weight of Tube Feeding
- Millie Bridger
- May 28
- 2 min read
As someone who spends more than twenty-two hours a day tethered to artificial nutrition, I’ve learned how a tiny shift can feel monumental. That’s exactly what my new stand, kindly gifted by Tilly’s Tubes, has offered.
The light, 3-D-printed frame slips straight into a normal bag, keeps the pump and feed secure, and its smooth edges end the issues of kinked lines and shrieking alarms. Simple, yet game changing.
For four years I carted clunky IV poles and rigid NHS stands that dug painfully into my spine. All whilst my once loved handbags gathered dust as I told myself to simply be grateful for being alive, even though I lost such a big part of myself.
This stand changed that overnight. No more clanking chrome or padding a rucksack so that brackets don’t bruise my spine. I can slip my pump into a handbag, head out the door and, for once, look like myself instead of a human IV stand. When life revolves around feeding tubes and alarms, wins like these aren’t small; they’re everything.
It’s safe to say it doesn’t fix a paralysed stomach; my pump still hums beside me everywhere I go. What it gives is hope; proof that a life with tubes can still include favourite colours, matching stickers and the quiet thrill of choosing which bag to carry. That whisper of normality fuels me more than any medicine ever could.
If you’re weary of clunky poles and bulky stands, I’d send you to Tilly’s Tubes in a heartbeat. They’re a small UK business run by people who truly understand tube life, offering stands in a rainbow of colours and sizes. Mine happens to be pink… and I absolutely love it.
