Ijust had a peg tube put in yesterday and could not get anything to stay down,tried water,yogurt,banana,apples&ensure. Nathan

Go slow with the PEG and use a slow gravity drip bag and your results should be better.

Hi Nathan, you you expand a little on how you tried those things? And do you mean "wouldn't stay down" that they came back up the peg, or that you vomited? Let us know what your technique is so we can give you some help. Amy in the Oz

The GI that put in gave me some zofran and I quit taking the pain med. I'm better now the peg tube cap leaks a little now and then. I had my first IMRT today yesterday I was just too sick. tomorrow cisplatin &Imrt,,34 to go. Thanks

Keep posting Nathan, so we can know how you are doing. Amy in the Ozarks

If you don't have it already get the Zofran ODT, the one that melts under your tongue. Then you can mix it with water and put it through your PEG when the thick mucous comes and swallowing gets tough. Even though I put it under my tongue it didn't work well but once I put it in through my peg the zofran worked great.

The hospital in this town only has one person that changes the cork ends on PEG tubes. Is this normal//she's out of town. The thing leaks off and on and burns. Does Ethyol or cisplatin make your blood pressure go up. Normal 12os/80s now running 155/97?

My blood pressure always seemed about like that while I was in treatment.

Hi Nathan,
Cislpatin and ethyol usually have the opposite effect and make blood pressure go down. However, it's not unusual to have fluctuations in blood pressure because the treatments are stressful. Do you have a blood pressure monitor that you can check on this at home? They're easy to use and you can see if there are ups or downs at different times. Could come in handy.

Are they giving you anything like Ativan before treatments? That was the only way that Jack could even go in the mask. It could help with your blood pressure and also nausea.

Yes, it's normal to have leaking from the cap of the PEG tube. Think about it as a build up of pressure that sometimes escapes like steam when cooking. After we had the cap changed a couple of times we just taped the end of it and that seemed to work.

What is the burning sensation you are talking about? Is it coming from the tube, your stomach, or the skin around the tube? Is you skin irritated?

Jack had ethoyl and felt it really made a big difference in both preventing severe muscositis and protecting his salivary gland. Here's the thing - you MUST follow the instructions on the pre-routine EXACTLY, and take the zofran daily. It's critical to drink - or pour into the tube - 2-3 quarts of water every day. You will find many people who have not been able to complete the series of ethyol shots due to severe nausea so don't fool around with that. Stay well hydrated and take the zofrann ODT.

During chemo radiation Jack could only tolerate PEG tube feedings using a drip bag that had a platic wheel on the tubing to control the flow. It's called a kangaroo bag and hangs from an IV pole. Are you using a liquid formula or blending food up? Watch the consistency if you're putting things in the PEG tube.

The good news is that you will get through this.

Regards JoAnne

Nathan,

I had a peg tube inserted prior to treatment starting. While I have not yet had to use it, knock on wood, my cap also leaked periodically. My cap is plastic, flat with a ball seal. My radiation nurse, when questioned about the leakage, said it was common due to sneezing and/or coughing. She suggest a spring clip type paper clip or a mini potato chip bag clip. Bend the tube and attach the clip. I did this and my improvised backflow preventer has stopped the leakage. Ask before trying this, as tubes are of different designs.

Pete60