None of my doctors or pharmacists really knew anything about what pills could be crushed and put down the feeding tube except for Christine's advice about time release. (actually you can crush TRs also but you get the dose all at once - I've done it)

Instructions and the PDR aren't accurate either. The pills I now take crushed down the feeding tube (Lipitor, Vitamin D, Levoxyl) explicitly warn not to crush them, but my blood work shows that they are doing just fine. That's the basis for my comment about doctors and pharmacists knowledge - they only knew what they had read with zero personal experience. Vicodin clumped and clogged my tube, Percocet was just perfect as well as Oxycodone but I'm off them now.

One thing that will NOT work: anything in a "soft gel" capsule. Even with an exacto knife split and careful "milking", it's a mess that does not work down a tube.
Finally, your post inspired me to actually check Dr. Google and I found this very helpful site.
Medicine thru feeding tube
We have the red hard pill crusher shown on that page we bought at Safeway pharmacy for a few bucks.
It's easy once you get the hang of it.
Charm

He is on the quest for something unrealistic... He wants a Bird of Paradise. Not a flower, you gardening geeks (Yes, I am one...) but he wants the "Phoenix".

Wow, I have my hands full trying to fulfill that goal! LOL!

You stated that he is kind of afraid of going to sleep because of that thick saliva - mucos. Man - I remember those feelings. I was more than "kind of afraid", I was terrified. My RO kept reassuring me that I would wake myself up if I couldn't get a breath. But it made getting sleep even harder and the more tired I got - the more I was upset. A mean circle. But he has had that last radiation - and soon there will be a light at the end of the tunnel which is not a train.

Hi Mrs. V.
I seconfd Christine's idea of water/baking soda/salt rinse for the mouth, I did it for months after the treatment. I still have to chew meds. It does not work for time rlease but does for most other pills. Taste is pretty bad, maybe whacking my taste buds was good after all!
Hopes for a speedy recovery

Steve

Hello,
So glad that treatment is over and he can slowly start to feel better. I will agree with the water/baking soda/salt water. It might not seem like it does much at first but you have to do it like 6-8 times a day. It totally helped me with my sores and I had them longer than most people that I have heard about. I have actually had pretty good doctors and pharmacy people who helped with that part. We actually don't crush the pills. We just get hot water and dissolve them in a small amount of water. Some of them you have to crush a little bit. You can use a spoon to do it or you can use the tip of the syringe to do it too. We have not found too much that you can't put down the tube. I had the thick mucous but I used a suction machine to help me get it all out. I slept alright and would wake up during the night to suction but usually it was so quick that it wouldn't interrupt me too much.

Sorry to hear about the bird. It is interesting when things happen. It was a beautiful bird. My great grandmother had a grandfather clock that she always had wound up but when she passed away it stopped. And it wasn't because the clock was not wound. The phoenix is a beautiful big bird and a hard one to fulfill. My nephew is named phoenix so I like them as well. ;-)

I pray that things get a little better for you guys.