Well, I've just reached week 4 of the 7 radiation treatments and am still able to eat by mouth (soft, smooth foods like Jevity, Ensure, puddings, cream soups, yogurt (lowest acid ones) and frozen yogurt. I was told yesterday that the side effects from radiation should have plateaued, meaning that the effects I'm currently having will continue, no better, no worse, until I'm finished with the 7 weeks, then will start the healing process.

If that's true (and I pray it is!), I won't have needed this PEG stomach tube (first OR second ones) at all. All that pain and fear twice, but I'm glad I had it installed just in case.

Guess I can put up with it for another 2 months, but as soon as I'm able to include chunkier foods (soft fish, meats, veggies), I'm having the sucker removed ASAP.

In the meantime, I don't know if it's just my tube or not, but the dumb thing tends to ooze stomach contents out the feeding end. And it smells like vomit and smelly feet no matter how often I clean and flush it, not a happy smell! So I bought some of those thin panty liners for female hygiene, the ones with the sticky backs. Put the tube end on half of the sticky back and just fold and press the other half over it. Cuts the smell WAY down, plus is more comfortable against the skin because of the soft cotton covering.

Hope this suggestion helps someone else that might have run into this problem.

On the plus side, the first tube that was removed healed in nothing flat, just leaving a red dimple right under my ribs. That I can live with. But no leakage or infection at all from it.

Sharon