Feeding Tube Question

Good morning all. For those of you who are on a feeding tube or have a loved one on one, please tell me a little about the experience. Can you be too weak to go on the feeding tube? Is the stomach tube better or worse than the nasal tube? How long does the procedure take and is it very involved? How and when are feedings done and is the process very intrusive?

My mother is about to be discharged from the hospital (Stage IV lung cancer metastasized to the spine at this point) and her doctor wants her to go on hospice. She never had a chance for a second opinion because her oncologist kept lying about her progress and then delaying her release from the hospital when we insisted on getting her to another hospital for a second opinion. Apparently, after he originally tried to get us to put her on hospice in February (which she personally declined), he decided to treat her hospital stay like she was on hospice and not do anything for her nutrition wise except Megace and an IV. They would bring her three meals per day, but she was so heavily medicated that she couldn’t stay awake and eat if she wanted to. So, she is at a point where she has zero interest in eating and is heavily medicated. If we coach and nag her, she might eat a bite of something a couple of times per day or she will eat an Ensure pudding. So, she is very weak. When she’s discharged we’re thinking of taking her to the emergency room of the local research hospital/comprehensive cancer center for a final desperate attempt at having someone else look at her.  Any advice would be appreciated.  

I see from the date posted that my reply might be too late to be of interest to you but others might wonder too. My mother had a feeding tube for 6 years and only towards the end (she was 85) did she express regret for having had it. Some people can't abide the thought of it, my folks knew someone who refused it as a treatment and starved to death, while in hospital. I remember my folks at the time being shocked that he would not agree to the 'simple" feeding tube.  A tube that goes thru the nose is not good for longer terms so when the docs don't hold out hope for eventual recovery (either stroke damaged or swallowing problems related to neuro disorders) a tube that goes directly in the stomach is preferred. It is a difficult adjustment for your body image. also, clothing issues need to be addressed. But my mother lived to see her first great grandchild and was an inspiration to many so i think the feeding tube for her was the right decision.