Good afternoon all.....not sure if this is a big subject, but wanted to put a note up....my mom has been very hesitant of getting the feeding tube, just wanted to report she is doing EXCELLENT and gained a pound. She has gained alot of strentgh and her overall look is super. I have to thank all the posted when i wrote a note about her quitting. You guys are the support that people need, keep up the good, no GREAT work!!!
So you can add me to the believers side that a PEG tube is the perfect way to keep your strength and spirit for fighting this horrible cancer.
THANKS

Thanks for the update. Feeding tubes are a huge subject around here. Some are strongly against it and others say it saved their lives. Im one who leans towards the PEG as a positive thing. Gaining a pound is wonderful, Im sure her doc is thrilled.

I remember you saying you mom was going to quit. Treatment can be awful, but it can be done. Keep up the good work with the feedings and hydration. It will make her recovery so much easier and she will feel much better when these things are balanced.

I remeber that being said too. I'm glad she got the tube and is gaining weight. Congrats to her and you.

Imagine if we would have been against the feeding tube !! If you have to eat to survive and are unable to swallow you have two choices. You can choose to live with the feeding tube or die without it . I know all situations are different, but we chose LIFE. Claudia

Not to continue WWPT but some of us were stubborn enough to opt out of the Peg and survive despite ourselves.

Survived barely for awhile and struggling now. Maybe tomorrow he won't bite when i catch it for only weighing 160.

I'm stupid ! What is WWPT ? -- Claudia

Women With Power Tools ?
World Wide Peg Tribulations ?

David. I'm glad you are finally putting in that "despite ourselves" addition to your relentless defense of no PEG tube use. Toughing it out, and losing as much weight as you did may have come out ok for you, but it does not for most people. Given the very small down side to this, a I still do not understand your fighting for something that you lucked out not having slow healing and weight loss complications from doing, not benefited from doing. You defense of the neck dissection issue makes more sense to me as there are pros and cons to that based on staging and HPV status, I wish you would keep you recommendations and advocacy in that arena. Next month we have the onco-gastroenterologist from MD Anderson joining OCF advisory board. I can assure you that we will have an official informed position at that time on this. It will likely be lose a certain percentage of body weight = get a peg tube. You will always be entitled to your opinion, but advocating for something as a non doctor that may have negative consequences probably will not be part of what we as "OCF" do for people coming here.

Having said all that, I also want to say that you have become one of the most valuable posters at OCF, and I am proud to have you as part of the family.

Now Brian, I have mellowed in my opinion on the Peg and if you read my post closely and without prejudice as to my earlier posts, I'm really not advocating not using the Peg as much as I am admitting that I may have made a mistake and survived despite myself. Speaking for myself, learning that I had a serious cancer and never being sick before, the thought of a Peg only further drove the spike into my heart so given the option I said NO PEG FOR ME - THAT'S ONLY FOR SICK PEOPLE!! Denial was my way of coping.

Thanks for the pat on the back. It's tough trying to help people get thru this because each one has different buttons that need to be pushed; some gently and some with a slegg hammer. I know I will never be right all the time, I just don't want to be wrong.