PEG placement today

GraceLibby
GraceLibby Member Posts: 88
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I'm going in for my PEG placement today and just want to stop by and say thank you to all the folks who have come before and posted their experiences and advice regarding treatment. I've been pretty good about accepting all the pre-treatment procedures that been done to date. However I've not been very accepting over the PEG placement. Reading the all the posts has been very helpful to explain and calm some of my fears and answer a lot of questions and I want to say thank you again.

Wish me luck!

Comments

  • johnlax38
    johnlax38 Member Posts: 136
    #2
    Best of luck to you!

    Best of luck to you!
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #3
    You're the Norm
    I think most of us probably hated the idea of having a PEG. For icing on my cake, since I was already in the hospital for neutropenic fevers, my PEG got put in Christmas Eve, 2009. Merry Christmas. Good luck with the installation, and getting used to your PEG. Keep us posted.
  • johnlax38
    johnlax38 Member Posts: 136
    #4
    Pam M said:

    You're the Norm
    I think most of us probably hated the idea of having a PEG. For icing on my cake, since I was already in the hospital for neutropenic fevers, my PEG got put in Christmas Eve, 2009. Merry Christmas. Good luck with the installation, and getting used to your PEG. Keep us posted.

    I got my port and PEG put in
    I got my port and PEG put in the exact day of my 5th anniversary. Sorry BABE!
  • Pumakitty
    Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
    #5
    Good Luck
    Good Luck!

    Hope all goes well!

    Kathy
  • rmkbrad
    rmkbrad Member Posts: 176
    #6
    It is not that bad.
    I just had mine removed two days ago, if you were close to the Reno area I have about 15 cases of food left over. Good luck and stay stong.

    Brad
  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    #7
    Peg O' My Stomach
    Hi Grace,

    I've had my peg for 5-6 months now. Some are ahead of me on getting it out, some are not. I find it a minor distraction. I stll don't eat that well, 4 montbs post treatment, though I had two eggs, fake bacon, and a hash brown for breakfast (can't do that every day). The procedure to put it in was painless. I would still depend on a lot of liquid food if I got rid of mine, so I'll probably keep it a bit to use up my ISO Cal. As you enter treatment/radiation, you will find it a blessing. Hoping for painless treatment time, and early recovery for you!

    best, Hal
  • stevenl
    stevenl Member Posts: 587
    #8
    Hal61 said:

    Peg O' My Stomach
    Hi Grace,

    I've had my peg for 5-6 months now. Some are ahead of me on getting it out, some are not. I find it a minor distraction. I stll don't eat that well, 4 montbs post treatment, though I had two eggs, fake bacon, and a hash brown for breakfast (can't do that every day). The procedure to put it in was painless. I would still depend on a lot of liquid food if I got rid of mine, so I'll probably keep it a bit to use up my ISO Cal. As you enter treatment/radiation, you will find it a blessing. Hoping for painless treatment time, and early recovery for you!

    best, Hal

    Nothing to it
    Hi Grace,

    At first it is a pain but you will get used to it. And it is a blessing during treatment. Good luck during your treatment!!

    Best,
    Steve
  • delnative
    delnative Member Posts: 450
    #9
    stevenl said:

    Nothing to it
    Hi Grace,

    At first it is a pain but you will get used to it. And it is a blessing during treatment. Good luck during your treatment!!

    Best,
    Steve

    It's not a big deal. Having mine installed wasn't too unpleasant, though it was not fun, and having it removed was even less of a big deal -- one pull and it was gone.
    And boy, was it a life-saver. I lost almost 40 pounds with the PEG -- if I hadn't had it, I suspect I would have melted away.

    --Jim in Delaware
  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #10
    1st week or So
    Hi GL,

    As the gang have said, the PEG is short term annoyance but of great benefit.

    Just a note that some of us suffered sharp pains in the stomach after the PEG was installed. I thought something was seriously wrong as these pains were really bad. They were almost like severe cramps. Turned out that gas was getting trapped in my stomach (maybe because of the PEG) and all I had to do was open the PEG and release the gas. Problem solved.

    If you do get this, open the PEG over a wash basin. If you get other pain with no relief as above, definitely tell the Doctor. This pain happened 2-4 times and then all settled down and it didn't reoccur.

    Just keep the area around the insertion point clean & generally covered and you will be fine.

    Scam
  • GraceLibby
    GraceLibby Member Posts: 88
    #11
    Scambuster said:

    1st week or So
    Hi GL,

    As the gang have said, the PEG is short term annoyance but of great benefit.

    Just a note that some of us suffered sharp pains in the stomach after the PEG was installed. I thought something was seriously wrong as these pains were really bad. They were almost like severe cramps. Turned out that gas was getting trapped in my stomach (maybe because of the PEG) and all I had to do was open the PEG and release the gas. Problem solved.

    If you do get this, open the PEG over a wash basin. If you get other pain with no relief as above, definitely tell the Doctor. This pain happened 2-4 times and then all settled down and it didn't reoccur.

    Just keep the area around the insertion point clean & generally covered and you will be fine.

    Scam

    Post Surgery
    Oh my. Yes, the pain from the insertion site is definitely there but tolerable with the pain medications. There is a significant amount of gas, and I've opened the valve with some success. I find that just getting up and walking around helps as well.

    I was kept overnight and had a roommate. She and her husband, who were extraordinarily inconsiderate, so I didn't get much rest, not that you get all that much in the hospital.

    Off to take a nap!

    Thanks again!

    Grace
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #12
    Hi Grace
    Good luck and all the best to you
  • kimmygarland
    kimmygarland Member Posts: 312
    #13
    Hondo said:

    Hi Grace
    Good luck and all the best to you

    Are you feeling better today?
    I hope so.

    I am interested in how long it takes to feel better from the placement. My husband will likely need one (we are waiting on biopsy for likely recurrence now) if his cancer has returned as they suspect.

    As said, hope you are feeling better today.
  • GraceLibby
    GraceLibby Member Posts: 88
    #14
    kimmygarland said:

    Are you feeling better today?
    I hope so.

    I am interested in how long it takes to feel better from the placement. My husband will likely need one (we are waiting on biopsy for likely recurrence now) if his cancer has returned as they suspect.

    As said, hope you are feeling better today.

    Much better thanks!
    Sorry to bump the thread, but I wanted to give you an answer. Turns out the pain was an ulcer created by the placement. GI doc said that acid production is highest between 2A - 4A, so he added an acid blocker (Prevacid) and voila, no more middle of the night pain.

    Personally, it took me about 3 - 4 days before I felt like eating. Just yesterday and today, actually felt "normal" (6 - 7 days). Make sure you WRITE DOWN ALL of the instructions that the nurses give you about how to flush his tube, feeding, cleaning, etc... Of course, this board is a great resource as well.

    Good luck to you and your husband!

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