Hi All,
Anyone had any experience of having a feeding PEG fitted? My mum has stage 2B cancer of the gullet and was fitted with one after radiotherapy finished.
Wondered if anyone else has been through this, she's finding it hard to adjust to it. Any advice would be great.
Thanks
Jen
x
FormerMember
Hi Jen
My husband has had a PEG since June 08. He can't take anything orally as he has no Tongue so he cannot swallow. The first one fitted when he was in hospital blocked the second day and so they put in another one in a different site and thats been ok since. The main thing with a PEG is to make sure you flush it with at least 60Mils of cooled boiled water after you have put anything through especially medication. Keep the back of the flange clean and rotate it a full turn daily. Don't forget to change the water in the ballon every 7 to 10 days.
Myself and my son been taught how to change it, so Laurence doesn't need to go to the hospital every 3 months for it changing.
Its just getting used to it, Laurence even goes to the Pub and has a beer down his.
If there is anything else you need to know just ask.
My mum had one for almost two years after two lots of surgery for oral cancer and couldn't swallow. It also took her a few weeks to adjust. She didn't cope well with overnight feeds via a pump as they made her feel bloated, kept her awake and she'd feel thirsty and sometimes hungry through the day. Mum turned the corner when she changed to bolus feeds every two hours- it suited her digestion and social life and her liking for a martini every evening!!! She named it the elephant and took great delight in showing it to visiting grandchildren until she changed to a button peg after six months. The button peg was easier under clothes, although my kids did miss Nelly!!!
I'm sure it will just take your mum a bit of time to get the hang of it. Although the adjusting to not eating part was hard and my mum did grieve when she smelt the vinegar on fish and chips and strangely vimto!
Hi i have had mine since feb, at first i hated it and it was very painful but after i got my head round it being there i found it easier to deal with, and during my radio therapy found it a god send my 10 yr old will happily give me my medication or flush it for me (think its cos he squirts it fast making me burp) to his delight plesant ay x
It takes time to adjust to treatment and having a peg makes it all seem very real and after all it not normal to have it there and that in its slf is a hurdle i look at mine as an aid to getting better rather then anything else am sure intime she too will feel the same way but we all take the stages in our own time - its a strange sensation when u dont chew food but cant taste what you put in yr peg
It does get easier mum will get used to in her own time i'm sure x
Im going for mine fitted next wednesday, im having mine fitted before treatment just in case i find it hard to swallow once my radio kicks in! I have cancer of my left tonsil and secondaries in my lymph node (neck) which has been taken away now, my throat is so sore from the tonsilectomy but im managing to eat as not a lot puts me off my food, i cant imagine how the radio will be cos this soreness is bad enough!
Let me know how ya mum gets on with it Jen its nice to talk to people going through the same.
Thanks for the info, people have been really nice and helpful on this website and it's good to be able to talk to other people who are going through similar experiences.
Hope you and Laurence are OK, good to hear that he gets down to the pub! My mum is very weak at the moment and can't see her being able to get out of the house for a long time, her specialist nurse told us last week that the affects from the radiotherapy can last for a couple of months at least which I didn't relalise.
