Difficulty in swallowing after Chemo, caused pneumonia as liquid gets to her lung instead, question on feeding tube

Hello,

My mom after finishing Chemo in Feb, she started have some difficulties in swallowing and breathing. She has been in and out of hospital stay due to pneumonia and experienced some near death experiences past 3 weks (for out of breath, lung full of water, body water retaining problem). Currently, Doctor give her new diet - honey thick food type only but asking us to consider the feeding tube- 2 types, nasal (max is couple weeks) and stomach (long term).  She is currently very fatigue - even after eating meals/ drinkings, getting worse after the 2nd radiation theraphy on Thursday morning (got another near death episode at evening).

I wonder if any of you have relatives or had tried this before.  What is the WORST side effect? 

Our goal is to try to keep mom more nutritions so she could getting better to release from Hospital and no more pneumonia to go for the clinical trial as KP oncologists have refused to further treats my mom.

Pls advise (any), thanks in advance.

Victoria

On 4/18/2009 CancerStrike2 wrote:

Hello,

My mom after finishing Chemo in Feb, she started have some difficulties in swallowing and breathing. She has been in and out of hospital stay due to pneumonia and experienced some near death experiences past 3 weks (for out of breath, lung full of water, body water retaining problem). Currently, Doctor give her new diet - honey thick food type only but asking us to consider the feeding tube- 2 types, nasal (max is couple weeks) and stomach (long term).  She is currently very fatigue - even after eating meals/ drinkings, getting worse after the 2nd radiation theraphy on Thursday morning (got another near death episode at evening).

I wonder if any of you have relatives or had tried this before.  What is the WORST side effect? 

Our goal is to try to keep mom more nutritions so she could getting better to release from Hospital and no more pneumonia to go for the clinical trial as KP oncologists have refused to further treats my mom.

Pls advise (any), thanks in advance.

Victoria

Victoria:

Sorry to hear about all your moms problems.  I had the upper left lung removed without any problems except for getting pneumonia every year.  Then I had the epiglottis removed and had a feeding tube for 4 months.  I would prefer the feeding tube in the belly to in the nose.  This will help her get the needed calories she will need and some strength.  She can also eat with the feeding tube and it might just help her regain some strength.  Wish I could be of more help.

LC