My Aunt Rosemary is scheduled for reconstructive surgery to remove her adhesions and to add an extra flap of tissue to free up her new tongue on Feb. 13th. Because this surgery has nothing to do with treating her cancer and because she has been through so much to date, she is having this surgery done on her own terms. One of those conditions is that they not install another PEG because she hated it and it caused her additional problems by way of more adhesions in her belly. Her surgeon has agreed to this as long as she gets enough calories into her system while she's healing. Now we realize that she will be alittle swollen for the first week or two, but we're trying like heck to figure out a way to get 8 cans
of Ensure Plus a day down her throat. She'll need to consume an awful lot of calories post-op since she is eating ALOT now and is still losing a couple of pounds every few weeks. (She was alittle over 200 lbs. a year ago and now is a svelte 120-something). The only thing that I can think of is filling one of those water bottles with a sip top and squirting it into her mouth as far back as she can and then swallowing. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting the Ensure down her throat post-op??? Thanks in advance.

Lisa Stankus-DeStefano
Niece/almost daughter to Aunt Rosemary, Stage 3 Base of tongue, floor of mouth, salivary gland, 1 positive lymph node. First surgery May 2003.

Hi Lisa

I didn't use a feeding tube during my radiotherapy and used drinking straws to get liquid foods to my throat where it was easier to swallow. Best wishes to you and Rosemary for her recovery, from Helen

Hi Lisa,

My surgeon opted against a PEG for me. His attitude (which I liked) was that I would be cut enough and if the was another option that would work we would do that first. The result was that I had a nasal feeding tube. A little embarrassing to walk around with, and at times it took some time for the food to finish flowing, but one less invasion was woth it to me. Perhaps this would be a possibility? Ask the surgeon and see what he say. (That is of course presumming that Rosemary would agree to it.)

Peace,

Fr. Mike