Susan, sorry I have missed your post. First welcome to OCF. You will find lots of help and support to get both you and your father thru the next few weeks. As a caregiver, make sure you also take time for yourself.

Are you using a pump for his feedings? If your father has not been given a pump ask the doc for one. Also most large hospitals provide a visiting nurse service to help with the peg tube. My nurse came out once or twice a week for about 2 months. I lived 45 minutes away from the hospital, way out in the woods and they still came out.

Make sure you are rinsing the tube with luke warm to warm water. Cold water will make his stomach cramp and hot will burn him. Always follow up the feedings or any medication given with at least one full syringe of water to rinse the tube. If he is running a pump overnight, a flush in the middle of the night is a good idea too. Ive had many many clogs due to being too tired and lazy to flush my tube in the night.

Now that he has the tube, make use of it. Medications can be given thru there, ask the doc for liquid meds. Some pills can be dissolved in warm water and given too. Before you do any meds thru the tube.....ask the doc. Not every medication was designed to be given like this, some are time release which can only be swallowed. As his treatment progresses, it will become more difficult for him to swallow pills, thats why its a good plan to begin trying to do his meds thru the tube.

Even with having a peg tube, your father still should be swallowing everyday or could lose that ability. If eating becomes difficult, there is a link at the end of this post with easy foods. Pay close attention to how many calories and fluids he takes in daily. His intake should be 48+ oz water and 2500+ calories per day. Even better is 3000 calories, a healing body burns calories at an incredible rate of speed.

Hope this has helped.

http://oralcancersupport.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=94621#Post94621