Welcome to OCF. You will find lots of support to help you and your husband thru this.

First thing I would recommend is for your husband to eat like crazy. Of course go for nutritious foods. Now isnt the time to worry about gaining weight. Just have him eat everything he wants now, it could be a very long time before he can eat and taste properly.

As far as the PEG tube goes, it is a goood thing. Others probably will debate the fact that its a necessary thing to have. I lost 65 pounds during treatment, and that waas with having the PEG tube. With doing chemo and radiation, your husband will need it to get his nutrition. His doctor will order prescription formula for the PEG tube which is usually covered by insurance.

Your husband should swallow, drink, and stretch his mouth open as wide as possible several times per day. This will save him from alot of problems after treatment.

Some questions you could ask... what type of chemo? Cisplatin can cause hearing problems, so have a hearing test done. The side effects seem to be easier to tolerate if chemo is given in smaller more frequent doses. Make sure you tell the doctors every single medication even over the counter and vitamins he takes. Ask about getting prescriptions in advance. Once treatment starts is very inconvenient to constantly be running to the pharmacy. If you get them in advance then you will be ready with anti nasuea meds. You could ask about any local groups to help him cope with this, or to recommend a therapist. Many oral cancer patients need therapy and anti-depressants to get thru this.

Its a good idea to start lining up helpers. People who would drive your husband to treatments or could help you by grocery shopping or cooking. As the caregiver you will get worn out thru this too. Try calling the American Cancer Society, they have several ways that they can help you.

Hope I have given you some useful info. Best of luck to you both.