It is not normal to have blood in your feeding tube. They need to check this out! Call the doc who installed it and insist on being seen immediately. If you are experiencing pain in the stomach or abdominal area go to the ER. Its possible something happened and the PEG tube became dislodged. Im speaking from experience, I had some issues with mine years ago from an overzealous doctor pressing too hard on my stomach. The feeding tube ended up being dislodged and embedded in my abdominal wall. I was in agony any time the nurses attempted to put anything in the tube.

If your ear hurts and you have other pain (besides the stomach area) talk with your RO. Ask for stronger pain meds to keep it manageable. Being in pain is actually detrimental to patients as it causes unneeded anxiety.

As far as your intake goes, every single day you need to hit the bare minimums of 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. If you can take more in that can only help you get thru this ordeal easier. Even 3500 or 4000 calories daily arent too much while going thru this. As far as hydration goes, ask for an open prescription to get extra hydration from the chemo lab a few times per week. This is especially important for patients getting chemo. Even if it hurts, keep swallowing. You must retain the functionality of your swallowing muscles. Taking sips of water thru out the day will help keep you hydrated and get those muscles moving so they dont forget how to funtion properly.



Hope you feel better very soon!