Feeding tubes-Nasal or RIG

Hi stoth and welcome. 
If your team are recommending a RIG then take it. Most of us end up not being able to swallow for a few weeks.  I had a nasogastric tube in my 4th week and it saved my life 

Don’t  worry about the swelling. They put your RIG in with you sedated so you won’t be in too much discomfort. 
It does take a while to settle and there is some pain in your tummy but if you can’t eat during treatment and lose too much weight you’ll likely be hospitalised. 
best of luck for your treatment 

I can understand your reluctance and concerns, I felt the same but was strongly advised my consultant and team to have a PEG feeding tube. It was fitted whilst under a general anaesthetic. Whilst it was uncomfortable and at time painful mainly due to knocking it in my sleep it was a life saver as I was unable to eat from week 4. I know a lot of people on this site have had similar problems with eating for a number of reasons, pain , nausea etc , it removes that stress and keeps your calories going. I’ve just had mine removed now, 3 months post treatment. It’s not forever. Good luck with your treatment. 

Debbie 

Hi Stoth,

I had a PEG fitted last February just before radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment started. Within a few weeks I could no longer swallow anything and became dependent on it for all my nutrition and medications. It really took away the worry of getting enough calories in for recovery, and after the first couple of weeks of discomfort you could almost ( but not quite ) forget it was there. A PEG is inserted into the stomach from outside the tummy under sedation using a CT scan. 
Hope some of the info helps,

All the best,

Laura.

Hi Stoth,

I had a RIG tube fitted prior to my CT and RT last July and I was totally reliant on it for getting my Fortisips in when the effects of the treatment kicked in. Although I could still swallow, I really struggled to eat due to the nausea and lost 12kg.

Fitting was straightforward as I was given a sedative and it was quite sore for a few days which improved when the “studs” holding in place were removed. I did have an ongoing problem with a mild infection at the site and this was not fully resolved despite antibiotics and antifungals. I bathed it regularly with salt water and used a Softpore dressing to protect the wound. There will be some maintenance required however this was easily performed by myself or my wife once we had been shown how. Removal of the tube was quick and painless.

Good luck with your treatment.

- John

Thank you

Hello. I had. PEG fitted in Feb prior to treatment (6x chemo Cisplatin & 30 x radio). It is fitted under sedation endoscopically. Not pleasant but a lifesaver. I used it from week 4 of treatment as I could no longer eat orally. I also used it for hydration & had all meds in liquid form. I had it removed in June, it takes the stress out of trying to keep eating. I linked up to a small pump at night which fed me 2000-3000 calories of liquid food supplement. 

Hi welcome from me if they are offering a rig take it. A few manage without ng tube or rig but if you’re having issues with your  throat now  it’s a no brainer  has once treatment starts it  possibly will get worse. I had no throat problems but by weeks 3 I needed a ng tube which I had for 6 weeks.it was my lifesaver. 
Until you can’t swallow water words can’t explain how bad it is. Take the sedation and have the rig would be my choice. 
Hazel 

I am about to start RT/Chemo and will be having a RIG even though I have progressed well post glossectomy. Whilst a bit of a backward step at one level, rt can be a bugger on your mouth to a good precaution to potential life saver.

Good evening Stoth, great advice from the other guys. galls on here, i had a PEG fitted which is the same as a RIG but fitted differently as its a different procedure, i believe the PEG fitting is a bit less hassle than the RIG to fit but once they are fitted they do the same job, i had mine fitted during my first surgery so i did not know anything about it, there will be a bit of discomfort but it varies from person to person, i never had issues as such and would strongly advise you to take up their offer of having a PEG/RIG fitted and dont risk going without having a tube fitted as the PEG and RIG are not normally fitted halfway through treatment although. I wish you all the best in your treatment and hope you and your consultant can sort out your feeding tube concerns, take care.

                                                                                   Chris 

Hi Stoth

I have a peg which was done under endoscopy 2 weeks before i started my radiotherapy/chemotherapy in feb of this year was advised to have it by consultant and glad i did.

Radio/chemo is not easy by any stage of the imagi ation but the peg makes life so nuch easier when you just cant tolerate food and having a hard time swallowing.

The posts on here are excellent and so helpful when you are just starting out so many helpful people and some of the tips are so true.

Good luck and hopefully it wont bother you to much mine didnt once your used to it.

Any questions feel free 2 ask will help if i can.

Chris