Having a PEG - What to expect?

Hi Bawbee, can you elaborate a bit on what you want to know, are you asking about the initial process of having it fitted or longer term info on using it? In general the insertion isn't painful (but be sure to take prescribed pain killers for the following few days) and use is really pretty easy once you get used to it. I've had one for about eight months in total (three months in 2014 and five months last/this year) and it really just becomes part of you after a while. I actually still find myself taking off T-shirts using the "avoid tube method" even though mine's been gone for about three months now.

MikeO,

I was thinking of both and you have answered me pretty well, thank you.

A couple of things...

Does the insertion require an overnight stay in hospital?

What happens to your sense of taste if nil-by-mouth?

How will my nutrition be prepared?

Thanks

Hi Bawbee. The nil by mouth won’t affect your taste but the radiotherapy is pretty much guaranteed to for a while at least. 
Having  feeding tube doesn’t negate you taking food orally. You’re encouraged to try to eat and swallow at least water and complete food replacement drinks all the way through. 

Bawbee said:

How will my nutrition be prepared?

PS. You will get complete food replacement drinks. These are usually Fortisips or Ensures. They are 2 or 2.5 calorie per ml drinks. Pretty concentrated.

You can syringe these in or have a pump. I fed overnight with a pump and  played with trying to eat soft stuff without worrying about eating enough to keep me alive.  Do eat soft things smoothies ice cream.... that sort of stuff. 

I must warn you to only have a monarch peg fitted. https://www.gbukenteral.com/pdf/Monarch-Care-Guide.pdf. Dont accept anything else. Pay for it yourself if you must.  The peg can either be to the stomach or bypass it and then it is called a pez. If it bypasses it then you cant put anything else in it. I know you can put 'good' water but am not sure about milk. Other pegs can hurt as I have found out. You will have to learn at what speed you can go. You can expect it to be no less than six hours and you have to carry it with you. I have written on here that they should make much lighter ones, and it is about time we got together to demand this. The machine is just a stop-start machine and doesnt need to be so heavy. 

Bawbee said:

Does the insertion require an overnight stay in hospital?

You don't stay in overnight, but you are sedated so make sure someone else drives you there.

I made the mistake of going on my own, they asked how are you getting home? I said driving, they said No you're not.

I thought what a load of nonsense, 2 hours later I knew why they said it - you can read about it here - www.1in1440.co.uk/.../

My first PEG fitting was an overnight stay (second time I was already on the ward), guess different hospitals have different policies.

I have just received my confirmation letter stating that I will be retained in hospital overnight.

On the confirmation there is a photo of a Merck Biomaterials PEG, is this different to the Monarch suggested by Seeker1?

Could be a Corflo PEG - https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/Downloads/pdf/PiCorflo.pdf

That is the one I had in for about 12 months and had very few problems with it.

No they are different.