Throat cancer

Hi

I didn’t need radio or chemotherapy after my surgery, although  it till took a few weeks to be able to eat properly . My brother also had throat surgery years ago, and he had radiotherapy and his gullet was swollen with the help from speech therapist he was able to eat again. There are others on here who will give you good advice and support 

Good evening watwilly, i would not say you are doomed to be being PEG fed, as Debbie60 said the speech therapist can help in some cases but maybe you could be offered further surgery to correct your swallow, i believe they call it dilation of the esophagus/swallow tube where they can stretch it in some cases, I know of quite a few people who have it done, some have it done more than once it just depends on the patient. From what I have been told its quite a straightforward procedure not taking long with great results. Maybe they are waiting until you have fully recovered from the radio as it remains in the body for a good six months to a year, so in a way its still working its magic. I hope you manage to get something sorted out shortly and get some swallow back. All the best, take care .

                                                                                        Chris 

Thank you for that Chris, patience required from me. 

I have already about 25 endoscopys and many were for dilation. My last one being about three weeks ago. They brought it up to 10mm. and they give a tube to be put in and take out to keep it like that. Have you any idea how much yours is now. Even now I cant swallow a whole tablet and have to break it and put it in a capsule. You are sedated I once wasnt properly sedated and I could feel what was going on and it was terrible. I think the whole procedure is under ten minutes. You are lying on your side with something in your mouth to make sure it stays open. I also have oxygen being put in. Make sure it isnt water. Once it was but they quickly sucked it out. One wakes up after a few hours and remembers nothing and can go home. There is a long waiting list because it seems they are short of machines for it and always there seem to be emergencies which of course come first. I keep begging for a stent and if you can get one then that is the best thing to have. They wont give me one.

Good evening Seeker1, just a quick question what syringes do you use for your PEG feeding, and do you use Ensures.Thanks.

Chris 

I use Enfit reusable enteral syringe and Fresubin energy fibre. I have never used ensure. I have tried to use fresubin jucy drink without success. I do have diarrhea about once a week but I am used to that.  My food is mashed the taste is almost normal but I am not gaining weight. I dont feel the peg at all. I wrote once here about my hernia, now another one has come which I can feel and the doctor has booked me for an operation three weeks ago which I am still waiting for. It doesnt cause me any problems. 

Hi Watwilly,

I had 30 radiotherapy sessions and 6 chemotherapy sessions five and a half years ago. I am not going to say much as I want you to stay on the positive side but sadly I am one of a very very small percentage of patients who still feeds via a peg. On the positive side, if the speech therapists don’t work I had an operation 12 months after radio therapy to open up my oesophagus after which I was able to drink. As seeker1 has said stents can be put in place if there is enough muscle above and below the blockage to hold it in place. Unfortunately only time will tell but do press your consultant for an early dilatation. It was not until my consultant tried one the she realised I had a total blockage and it was after that that I was referred for the operation. Keep positive, the vast majority on the forum from what I have seen regain the ability to swallow but if my experiences can help in any way just give me a shout. Good luck.

clive

Thanks, seeker1, does your syringe fit into the bottle of Fresubin or do you pour it into a bowl, the reason i ask is that since they have changed to the Enfit ones rather than the old-style push-fit the syringes do not fit into the neck of the bottle like the old style. 

Hi Watwilly.

My husband has Lung, throat, voice box and neck lymph cancer. He can't eat but he has a RIGG in his tummy. We manage wrll with it. In fact when he is asleep and is due food or meds, I can feed him. lol

Sometimes when he is feeding, he has a spoonful of my dinner and just chews and tastes it, just so he can get the experience and then spits it in a tissue.

Mandy xxx

It fits into the bottle. It isnt really a bottle but more like a large sachet and has sometimes become split during use with contents dripping out. I find it the opposite. The old style pegs needed an extra piece because the one to the 'bottle' didnt fit it. Now the peg does fit the one to the bottle and it only needs one. In the hospital I used the Abbot one which is better but fresubin have now improved their feeding machine. I have already once written about it, that it is too heavy and it should be made a lot smaller with smaller feeds to be able to easily carry about. All the machine is, is a stop and start one.