A friend of ours is staying with us after finishing 6 weeks of radiation therapy for tongue cancer. He's having a terrible time keeping food down. He does have a gravity feeding tube, but can only manage to take in about one can of the food a day. He gets really bad cramps and gas. Today he tried injecting the food into his stomach with a syringe the way he takes medications. Any suggestions for helping him get more food in his system? I'm worried about caloric intake and hydration.

He also coughs up a great deal of mucus.

Thanks for any help.

Hi Frenz,
Your friend needs some help with the feeding tube, one tin a day is not enough and fluids are even more essential!
When i had trouble there were 2 ways of addressing the problems. Firstly, i took care of any nausea with drugs, pre-feeding and i allowed them to take effect before food. Secondly,i found the gas and cramping was from constipation as a result of the other drugs. Getting the right bowel motions is a must to prevent reflux and cramping. The docs gave me senna to get things moving and lactulose to soften things up - they finally worked but the balance is different for everyone - too much causes more cramping. Enemas may be the way to go. If the bowels are backed up i found it useless to add more fluid either with syringe or bag feed as just pushed back and bloated things more. When hydration is compromised, the bowels become even drier and so the cycle continues - in that case maybe I/V fliuds are the answer.It sounds as though your friend needs to see the doc and get some iv fluids in place and then start again with better symptom management and prevention - it has to become a routine. I have just finished 7 weeks of radio and am now into week 9, with little sickness remaining and managing up to 8 tins of Ensure per day plus extra fluids through tube.
Hope this helps, don't hesitate to ask more,
good luck to your friend,
Frances

Hi Frenz,
I have thought of some more info that might help your friend!
The really big turnaround for me was to get the peg tube properly positioned in stomach. Mine was pointing upwards instead of down into stomach, which of course just refluxed up! I have now taped my tube up under my chest and this seems to keep the inside bit pointing the right way!
Another big help, with the mucous has been the oral rinse - made up of bicarbonate of soda and salt with warm water( little pinch of each in glass). Make weak solution and with the help of a monojet syringe, flush as frequently as poss. This cuts the mucous and desensitizes the mouth. I also use a suction pump, battery powered, to remove excess mucous and it has been a Godsend!
Hope this is of some use, all the best to you and your friend,
Frances.

Frenz,

Please do a search of the message boards. Frances has given you some information, but this topic has been discussed quite a bit (probably one of the top 2)

There is a lot of great information posted about feeding tubes and managing them.

Take care,
Dinah

Wanted to check first and sure enough, there are discussions under the archived messages about peg tubes.

Dinah

Almost everyone makes this mistake at the beginning. Step one. Feed SLOOOWLY. Three cans of Ensure and two of water in my bag took me over an hour to drip into my stomach, and that made things much more tolerable. Step two. Sit upright while eating and do not lie down until an hour afterwards. Being propped up by a bunch of pillows in front of the TV (mindless daytime programs) passed the time, or sitting at the computer. Three. Canned food at room temperature along with water the same. All these things made it go easily for me.

John just recently had a problem with cramps and diarrhea when using his peg tube. The tube had migrated from his stomach to his intestine. He was"dumping" thus causing the terrible cramps and diarrhea. He had to have the tube removed and a new one placed. The problem was solved immediately. The only way to tell if the tube has migrated is by going to the hospital where they put dye in the tube and observe it under xray.
Meredith

Hi All,
Thanks for all the good advice and I will check the archives. I'm glad to have found you all. When my mother had pancreatic cancer, I found a similar board of patients and caregivers who provided a wealth of support and information. Until my friend is feeling well enough to sit at the computer, I'll monitor this site and pass on the information to him.
Good luck to all of you fighting the battle.

My husband had surgery in February and had a NG Tube but that was taken out in a few weeks because he could tolerate liquids and some soft foods. Now he has had 17 Radiation treatments with 18 more to go. When do we know if he may need another feeding tube. I think he wants to try it without one. I am concerned. Has anyone in this site been able to be without one through the treatments? Thanks, Becky

Becky, I did the whole thing without a feeding tube. I lost weight yes but not enough to make the Doc mad (185lbs to 155lbs). I did a lot more than ensure (I couldn't find a flavor that agreed with my personality) however I did make a lot of regular meals into "blendersborg" (yes I'm Swedish) Some folks here are probably tired of my strange blender concoctions so I won't go there unless asked.

I think he can do it if he is able to swallow some. Just watch his weight and check with nutrition people where he gets his radiation.

Becky, I also managed without a feeding tube throughout the whole process.I am lucky that I only lost 16 pounds and have regained them after a year. Swallowing could be a big problem at some point of time but I think it isn't the patient's preference for getting or not getting a tube inserted. The doctor will assess the need .

Karen stage 4 tonsil cancer diagnosed in 9/01.