Teresa,

PEG's are a point of much dispute on this site, so I hope this stays to point.

I had a PEG placed and I did need it...but it did hurt like hell. They couldn't place my PEG "traditionally" by snaking it down my throat and pushing through my stomach and abdominal wall, due to how thick my abdominal wall was. So I had to have my stomach inflated with air, sedated but conscious and a local administered and then they cut into me...I felt every minute of it. What was worse was the pain I felt for days afterwards as the air escaped my body.

Leakage is normal sometimes I had this greenish booger/snot looking stuff seeping from the tube site. The site of the tube would get irritated by clothing, movement etc...so minor redness will happen as well as the site being sensative.

Teresa, you have the hardest job as the caregiver, use this site as much as possible for the valueable information and advice. Knowledge is power, the more you know about what's to come the less helpless you should feel.

The only things you can control through this is:

1) Medical team, make sure you are getting the best Dr's you can, start at a Cancer Care Center or like MD Anderson. You may only get one chance to beat this disease, using second rate drs is a recipe for death.

2) Attitude, keep the faith, keep hope alive...you don't have to sing hymnals and dance through the street spreading the "magic" but see the upside.

3) Nutrition, you have to see that he's getting the calories to help his body fight this crap.

the rest is up to his medical professionals and how his body reacts to treatment.

Good luck

Eric