Harleydude,

Are you using the tube because of the taste bud problem or because you can't get food down any other way? Please tell us some more about your diagnosis and what kind of treatment you've had -- that will help people respond whose cases are similar to yours.

If you're using the tube simply because of the bad taste, I would urge you to keep trying to get some of your nutrients by mouth in order to keep your swallowing function going as much as possible. Most of us here have dealt with the temporary loss of taste buds, and it goes with the territory, but eventually they should return to normal. I'm another one who didn't have a PEG at all -- just managed with lots of liquid/semi-soft foods that would slide down with little or no chewing (sometimes had to numb my mouth ahead of time). As Wayne said, there's no way to generalize about how long it will take to get all of the taste buds back, as experiences vary from one person to the next.

Cathy