Hi -- next week will be the final week of radiotherapy as well as 3rd session of chemotherapy for my dad. he is currently having a very difficult time eating and will be opting to use nostril tube feeding.

please help with some of the concerns he has with tube feeding:

1) he sometimes vomit the protein drinks in the evening. would tube feeding prevent or reduce the chances of vomiting?

2) what about fluids? would that still be taken thru the mouth?

3) his throat is very sore and dry -- what are some methods to soothe the throat while the tube is in?

Thanks for your help!

Audrey

He should take what he can by mouth and supplement the rest via tube. The reason for the vomiting is important, if it's because his stomach can't take what's in it... Then the tube may not help, I threw up ocassionally because of the saliva this a tube may help with that. Fluids - will help his throat - try flattened club soda. Best of luck. And congrats he's almost there

Your father needs to swallow every day to keep the swallowing muscles active. Believe it or not, those muscles can very quickly forget how to work and he would have bigger issues later on relearning how to swallow.

I know its really hard for him right now but he must get his nutrition and hydration. If he isnt taking in enough talk to his doc and ask for him to get hydrated. They will give him a couple bags of saline and he will instantly feel alot better. Nutrition and hydration are very important and must be top priority here. Every single day he needs 2500 calories and 48 oz of water, no skimping. Getting to take more than that is even better and he will feel better too. Ask for a nasal tube to help, its a great temporary measure to get him thru a bad few weeks. Also anti-nausea meds like zofran can help with his nausea. He should take the meds around the clock as once you fall behind and are nauseous, its next to impossible to catch up. That will turn into a huge cycle where his nutrition and hydration will not be enough and he will get sicker and sicker. Very quickly this can turn into malnutrition and dehydration and require hospitalization. Pay very close attention to your fathers intake as malnutrition and dehydration are things not to mess around with. I am speaking from experience, i ended up being hospitalized a few times for this and I felt so bad I actually thought i was dying. If you feel your fathers health needs medical attention, take him to the ER where he can get hydrated.

best wishes!!!!

Thanks for the advice.

Is it normal that drinking water is more irritating than eating thicker liquids such as porridge/oatmeal or protein milk drink? his throat is scorching whenever he drinks water.

are there any methods to help reduce/ease the throat pain? he is currently using "caphaosol" mouth rinse -- which helps a bit.

Also, when the tube is in place -- would it become "displaced" from coughing too much or too hard?

Thank you guys for being on this forum to answer some of these questions -- it really really helps and it's a relief to know that there's a support group out there.

Audrey

If the tube is correctly taped to his nose then it won't come out. We also pinned it to whatever I was wearing to reduce the tension from the nose to the tip. Take a piece of tape and wrap it around the tube leaving excess where the pin can go thru.

I wonder why the doctor recommended the nose tube as opposed to the peg tube? I don't mean to worry you, but I had the nose feeding tube in place right after my surgery, and it really irritated my throat after about a week. I asked my ENT, and she said the nose feeding tubes aren't designed for long term. Also, I began to get really nauseous and vomit every time I had a feeding, and ended up convincing my doctor to let me take my swallow study early so I could get the darn thing out!

I know the nose tube doesnt bother everyone like it did me, so hopefully your father will be able to tolerate it better. Just wondering if the PEG tube is an option. Good luck!