I had only recently given up mixing my own solutions at home. Receiving a shipment of HPN was much more of an event when one is receiving all the raw ingredients in glass containers and the tubing, vials and syringes for mixing as well as the supplies, tubing and syringes for administering the finished product. Today my HPN arrives premixed according to much finer specifications and it is mixed in much more sterile conditions. I use a small hand held pump, a battery and a backpack, and my supplies fit into a compact case which easily fits into an overnight bag. There are not only a wider variety of catheters, there are also more access methods for placing lines and we know much more about preserving those lines.
Solutions are capable of addressing individual nutritional and disease related requirements.
As I prepared my remarks for this morning, I realized that the group I am with at this year's conference is much more sophisticated. It is a group of strong self-advocates. It is also a much larger group, and as our numbers have grown, we continually benefit from the experiences that each consumer brings to the conference. I have now been on HPN for 17 years. During those years I've adapted and changed as advances in medicine and technology have offered more understanding of my needs and greater advantages to my overall health and lifestyle.