Even those of us that have not had the extensive treatments such as packer have been on feeding tubes for long periods. I had a particularly difficult time getting back to solid food due to the prolonged mucoscitis in my mouth. I was on the tube for about a year and wouldn't have made it without it. Gradually the soreness went down, the taste came back, everything but the saliva normalized. My water bottle is as natural a part of my hand now as my wedding band or watch. It can take a long time to get back to eating normally, so do not be surprised by that. And as Packer said, when the treatmetns are extesicve and radical, the tube can become a permanent part of your life. I think we all believe that the alternative is much worse....