Hi Mark,
Just curious, what is your own reason for avoiding the peg?

My other was advised to get it in by week 4 or he would have regrets. As it is, the procedure took only a couple of hours, he was in a bit of pain when the anesthetic wore off but that is when you scream for pain relief [a shot of morphine worked for him]. The next morning he was shown how to feed, then had his chemo. As long as you look after it - flushing, turning, cleaning, within 3-4 weeks it should be fine. Your appetite may decrease for many reasons, therefore the peg is a fantastic invention for supplying supplements & nutrition to the body & making you feel full, also taking liquid meds, then you can relax from worrying about eating until your mouth begins to heal although it is important to try to keep the muscles in your throat active, even with warm tea. You don't need to go under again to have it removed either.

I wish someone had of advised us to eat big before week 4 or even removal of the teeth, Rod was 75kgs in March, went as low as 62kgs during treatment, is now about 66kgs. [sorry not in lbs!! :)]

Another tip is to always keep your pain managed & under control - you can't become addicted to the powerful morphine drugs or cocaine mouthwash if you are taking it for pain, so if you aren't satisfied, speak up with your oncologists.

Let us know how you go, good luck, thoughts are with you & your new grandbaby!!

Jeanna