Stoj,
Hang in there...
For the gagging on the phlegm, Tom uses a suction machine. I got the idea from posts here. You can rent one through a medical supply place. Ask your doctor to write the order and insurance will cover it (or if not, ours is $40 a month). It has really helped Tom. Our doctor explained that the phlegm gets particularly bad near the end of treatment and in the week or so just after because the radiation burns in your throat are seeping. Some say a humidifier helps, but we've not tried that. We're nearly three weeks past the last radiation treatment and he doesn't have nearly as much phlegm now and only uses the suction a few times a day.

As for tube feeding, he has always done bollus feeding, not gravity. No bag or pump is involved. Tom uses the bottom of a 60cc syringe like a funnel, inserts it into his tube and pours a can right into the "funnel." He doesn't use the plunger on the syringe. He follows each can with two cups of water into the funnel to flush the tube. He's eating nothing by mouth and each day takes five cans of Nutren 1.5, made by Nestle. It has 375 cal per can. tHe does one can, sometimes one and a half, about four hours apart to give it time to digest. Water is key. He makes sure he takes at least 10 cups per day.

Joyce