Gary, the peg is a "piece of cake" for most people. Keeping the area clean around the tube insert is just using good hygiene. [John wipes around his with Peroxide every now and then. You can put lots of things down the peg, providing there are no chunky particles. I pureed bean soup for John today. Counting the calories and H20 that you get each tube feed is the most important thing and remembering to flush well with water at the end of each use. John uses a suppliment called 2CAL-HN which has 475 calories per can. Takes 4 a day, plus Welsh's Concord grape juice [180 cal per 8 oz] or a pureed soup, etc. There are also some good milkshake recipes here that have lots of calories. You'll do fine with it and probably start gaining weight and feeling better quickly. Good luck, Amy