 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | The feeding tubes are used when normal eating is not getting enough calories into the patient. Here, that's typically during radiation or post-surgery.
If the tube is large enough, you can drain or pump (syringe or food pump) all sorts of stuf in there, just not taste it. I have a pump and one nice thing is that, per Christine's advice, I can dilute the food, set the delivery rate low and be eating while I am sleeping.
Some people are on PEGs for life.
Age 67 1/2
Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05
Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08
Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08
Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06
Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08)
Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08)
On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
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