Hi Jon,

I have been following your thread .

My husband had the PEG tube put in just before radiation treatment. He was resistent to it at first but is very glad he did it. From the fourth week of Tx and then for many months afterward that was the ONLY way he could get his nutrition. It is different for everyone. One of the radiation oncs told us that once you begin Tx, it is optimal to finish it without any breaks. She explained that if my husband started to lose weight, the mask would not fit and then he'd eventually have to get the PEG in the middle of Tx anyway.

He has maintained his swallowing by eating by mouth as well, but he just can't get all his nutritional requirements by mouth alone. He mouth and jaw become tired and his mouth still gets very sore.

When you are healing, you need to take in many more calories than you normally do. Your body requires more for tissue repair and to fight infection.

BTW, my husband still has the PEG almost 2 years out. No one can see it. He supplements 1 to 2 meals a day with it. Since the rad Tx, unfortunately, he has had numerous infections. This PEG has been a lifesaver for him.

He is getting ready to have his jaw rebuilt in a big procedure in November. The Plastic Surgeon was happy to hear that he still had his PEG as he will need it.

Clark wanted to remove the Peg beginning of last June. But when he stopped using it, he lost more weight. That scared him.

I wish you well in your treatment. You might ask your docs what the back up plan will be if you do not have the PEG and you have some feeding issues in the middle of Tx.

As for energy levels, Clark was wiped out most days during Tx and took long naps. He still gets very tired at the end of the day.

All the best--
Anita