Hi Colleen,

My brother did not want to get a peg tube. It was increasingly difficult for him to swallow and he ended up in the hospital for severe dehydration. He also lost a LOT of weight (right now, he is about 150# and is 6'1").

After the hospital episode, he ended up getting a nasal tube. They put it in while he was sedated because of how bad his throat and tongue were. He had the nasal tube for about 6 weeks, I think. The nasal tube was good for him for hydration and calories, but it was very, very slow. He had the nasal tube valve open as far as it would go, and it still took a long time to get the liquids in. He had to stay upright during the feeding and it really drained him of energy.

I definitely concur with Charm2017 that it is your brother's decision to make. Obviously, you and others (including doctors) can provide information to him. One of the things that Joe said during treatment was that he felt like he was losing control of his decisions ... that put us on notice that we should help him, but not tell him what to do!

Jean