Jeez guys, given some of the heated exchanges I've had with people on this board when touchy subjects like religion etc. come up, this thread isn't even warm. There is good information here, and everyone seems to be genuinely concerned with not offending other people...to me that's the way these things get handled. No one has behaved like they have a thin skin, and no one has actually flamed another...... I think all the posts here have merit. For the record, in most comprehensive cancer centers, getting or not getting a PEG is not a patient's choice. You loose 15% of your body weight during treatment and you get one, period. They provide the nutrients necessary, and the complication rate as a figure of overall procedures done is minimal. Even long term PEG users like myself still take some nutrition, and obviously water by mouth. Swallowing issues are not a result of the PEG, they come from different people's response to the effects of radiation, and the amount of scar tissue and nerve damage it causes related to the smooth muscles of the throat, the ability of the esophagus to do its peristaltic wave thing, and more. PEG or no PEG those that are going to have swallowing problems, are going to have them. Some posters here in the past have stated that they thought that the fact that they didn't get the PEG kept them from getting swallowing issues...most of the docs I have talked with would disagree with this. Everyone knows I am a big PEG proponent so my bias on this board in favor of it is well registered.
