Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | There seem to be two reasons against having a PEG -- The first is that for some people, feeding tube is a sign of feebleness and neediness and the potential 'PEGee' isn't ready to accept that (I learned that from Charm!); the second is that it is one of the few things in this whole mess that we seem to have a choice about, so some choose to be PEG-less as a form of defiance against the cancer.
Personally, I had no preconceived notions about PEGs, it was recommended that I get one, so I did.
The excuses about loss of swallowing and mouth opening are not valid because one can still do that even with a PEG (Although some of us were not warned about it -- I was given my PEG in a rush and no one really explained it to me). That's one of the prime reasons this forum is so helpful -- We educate each other by sharing our experiences, good and bad.
Age 67 1/2 Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05 Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08 Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08 Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06 Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08) Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08) On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
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