My boy friend has had 3 + 2 days of radiation to head & neck region and 5 chemo treatments. It is becoming VERY HARD for him to swallow. has anyone been able make through treatment without a feeding Peg? His Dr. does not want to give him one. Thanks!

My boy friend has had 3 + 2 days of radiation to head & neck region and 5 times Chemo. It is VERY HARD for him to swallow. Has anyone made it through treatment without a feeding peg. His DR. does not want to give him one. Thanks?

Kyle, I'm not sure what 3+2 days is, but I did have radiation and chemo without a feeding tube. I think there are a few more people on the board who managed without it.

It's not easy, I was on ensure exclusively pretty much from the second half of 7-week treatment until almost a month after it ended, but I managed. I did lose quite a bit of weight - probably 30 lbs over the course of the treatment, but I was lucky in the sense that I could afford to lose weight. I was very disciplined about eating, and my family and friends were very disciplined about cheering me on. It was hard, painful, and I had to take percoset and magic mouthwash before each meal, otherwise I couldn't swallo, it was so painful. My throat didn't become constricted, it was just mucositis and resulting pain.

Good luck.

Did the doctor have a reason for wanting to avoid a PEG?

Kyle,

My husband went through IMRT and chemo w/out a PEG or a Port and I would not recommend that approach to anyone. On the PEG front, he got very dehydrated and it was problematic for him to take medications. On the Port front he was, at times, a human pincushion to the chemo nurses because the chemo made his veins bad.

Our doctors did not recommend either, if I knew then what I know now I would have demanded both.

Kyle

I did my entire 5 days a week of radiation(that ended up lasting 10 weeks because of IMRT machine breakdowns) plus 8 full chemo sessions without a PEG. It was difficult but I was determined.
However, what matters here is what the patient wants not what the doctor recommends. My doctors actually hectored me to get a PEG and I had to hide the amount of my weight loss by putting lead fishing weights into a multipocketed vest.
I had no choice this time around. There have been many people here who posted that they went thru treatment either without ever getting a PEG or else getting it and never using it. However many more posters insist the PEG was a godsend.

Kyle, there are no medals or awards given out to the few who manage to get through treatments without a PEG. Even with a PEG in my husband lost 30 lbs. He was very reluctant to get the PEG but his RO, MO and ENT all INSISTED he get one before treatment ever started. Thank God he did or I doubt he would have gotten through treatments without being severly malnourished or hospitalized for dehydration. He forced himself to swallow water every day so he didn't loose the ability to. His doctors explained to him that the body responds much better to treatments if you are getting the nourishment and hydration you need. My husband was so extremely nauseas for weeks from the mucus and Cisplatin that I can't imagine how he would have been able to get enough nourishment in orally. Good luck.

I would certainly ask more questions as to why your Dr is not recommending a PEG. I still lost 40+ pounds with a PEG. I can not imagine what would have happened with out it. They are of minimal discomfort and a life saver when the mucositis took over.

Kyle, I did my six weeks of radiation and chemo without a PEG, but was extremely disciplined about getting enough nourishment with Carnation VHC, high-protein smoothies, and tons of Boost. I had to put up with a lot of pain to "eat" these things, so used pain meds every four hours at the worst points during tx.

What is the location of your boyfriend's cancer? Since mine was hard palate, I at least had my healthy tongue and throat to help me swallow through tx. If your boyfriend's cancer is in his tongue or throat, it's probably harder to swallow and he may need the PEG.

From what so many on this forum say, the PEG can be a really great aid for maintaining weight and avoiding the discomfort of eating during tx. I would keep asking the doctor about it...

I did it without a PEG. Lost 5-6 lbs a week. You must be very determined to get food down. Yes it hurts. For me the first 5 weeks were the worst. My tonsil shrank and the pain eased up after that (Your results may vary, and probably will).
The only advantage I see is that I kept my throat functioning so maybe moving on to more solid foods was easier for me. That too will vary.
I ate a lot of protien shakes, soup and after 5 weeks I was able to get chicken pot pies down.