Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to share with you that my husband did not use the PEG.
He was told by his friend to get it but the oncologist nurse told him that many people don't use it and that she would be telling him to swallow every day anyway to keep him from having a hard time learning to swallow again or getting jaw problems. She also mentioned a patient with 2 children that had just gone through it and he wanted to be a normal as possible for his family and continued to work also. I think this story made him go for it without the peg.
I have to say, he has done better than I thought, of course it hurts but he takes ensure, boost and he gets down a bowl of Chinese egg flower soup each day. He has been a real trooper through this and can't wait to get it over with.
I must say also, he was overweight alaready at 250 lbs so he was able to take a loss in weight, which up to now is about 25 lbs. I realize most people who do not weigh too much would have to worry about significant weight loss and that is why they need the peg.
He has 2 radiation treatments to go. He had Erbitux for his chemo and that went very well, only some pimples not bad. He had some rashes and thrush and ulcers in his mouth but just kept rinsing with the salt/baking soda rinse.
For meds he has Hydracodene,and liquid morphine.
Hope this is of some help.
My wish for all of you is to get through this the best you can. We continued to go to movies and concerts from time to time. We just took the medicine with us and a litttle travel kit with all his neeeds.
God Bless