Another feeding tube

rmkbrad
rmkbrad Member Posts: 176
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Well I finally agreed to my wife and doctors advise and I am going to have a feeding tube put in again. I have been out of treatment for 6 months and have not been able to gain weight. Started this whole mess nearly two years ago at 290 and now 141. I really hope I can gain some weight and get some muscle mass back as well as some energyd. I really hope it does me good. So it goes in in two days.

Brad

Comments

  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    #2
    Good decision
    My husband just about made it without the peg tube but got it one week before radiation was over. I think it has literally saved his life and until he can regain some weight, I vote for it to stay put! It is a great backup on days he doesn't have an appetite and boy is it hard to put those lbs. Back on. It sometimes seems like such a goal to get the peg out but, it truly is a friend. I am a dietitian and we need that protein to build the lean muscle mass. Best of luck, not failure to get the peg but a show of strength to be proactive and do what you need to do to heal!!!
    Robinleigh
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #3
    Boo and Yay
    Brad,
    Glad the double team efforts of wife and docs worked. Sorry you need the new feeding tube; glad you're getting it. Looking forward to hearing what a difference the tube has made. Do well.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #4
    Pam M said:

    Boo and Yay
    Brad,
    Glad the double team efforts of wife and docs worked. Sorry you need the new feeding tube; glad you're getting it. Looking forward to hearing what a difference the tube has made. Do well.

    Brad
    I think that is a wise move for you. At 140 you can definitely use it for extra calories to gain some back.
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    #5
    141
    Brad, yeah 141 is a bit thin. Good idea to try the feeding tube once again. Hope it helps get some weight on those bones. Cheers.

    Jimbo
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #6
    You Go Buddy
    As with everything in this ordeal...you do what you have to do to survive... The PEG sounds like a very wise decision....

    Keep up the good attitude and you are in my thoughts and prayers buddy.

    Best,
    John
  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #7
    GOOD FOR YOU
    Brad, good decision. I bet this is very frustrating for you, but take the time to use it to the max. Hopefully a good nutritionist will put together a nice mix of calories, protiens and carbs to allow you to regain some mass.

    I dropped 70 lbs. myself and the tube I had for 4 months helped to get me jum started.

    Best!!

    Mike
  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    #8
    luv4lacrosse said:

    GOOD FOR YOU
    Brad, good decision. I bet this is very frustrating for you, but take the time to use it to the max. Hopefully a good nutritionist will put together a nice mix of calories, protiens and carbs to allow you to regain some mass.

    I dropped 70 lbs. myself and the tube I had for 4 months helped to get me jum started.

    Best!!

    Mike

    Brad
    Brad,

    I know getting re-pegged wasn't on the top of your list, but like lots of folks here it saved my rear-end when things got tough. Hoping you can put on some good weight with it!

    Positive thoughts coming your way Dude!

    Greg
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #9
    PEG
    The PEG should really help. Buzz still has his even though he is not using it and is nearly 8 months post treatment. We have been advised to keep it until he gets a clean PET. First two were questionable. Karen
  • robinleigh
    robinleigh Member Posts: 297
    #10
    buzz99 said:

    PEG
    The PEG should really help. Buzz still has his even though he is not using it and is nearly 8 months post treatment. We have been advised to keep it until he gets a clean PET. First two were questionable. Karen

    tube feeding
    FYI...A dear friend of mine works for Abbott Laboratories and she recommended Jevity to start with which is what Andy has been on for months but now she is recommending Vital because she says it's easier to absorb. The body doesn't have to work to digest it. Anyway, something to talk to your dietitian about. Vital does have less calories per can but if they're absorbed easier it might be worth it. She also says that for insurance purposes you might have to complain of a little diarrhea to justify it.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #11
    Feeding Tube
    You got to do what needs to be done Brad; I am still at 156lbs and just can’t gain a pound more. My problem is that I just can’t get enough food in my mouth and when I do I can’t swallow it, so I eat smaller portions and it takes hours sometimes and everyone else is long been gone by the time I finish. No one at work will even invite me to lunch with them because of it; make for really feeling alone at times. Even the children finish long time before me and I am always last at the table, only the wife eats slow so she can stay with me so I don’t feel so bad. Just glad everyone here understands about our new normal and how it can sometimes make big changes in our lives.

    Hondo
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #12
    Hondo said:

    Feeding Tube
    You got to do what needs to be done Brad; I am still at 156lbs and just can’t gain a pound more. My problem is that I just can’t get enough food in my mouth and when I do I can’t swallow it, so I eat smaller portions and it takes hours sometimes and everyone else is long been gone by the time I finish. No one at work will even invite me to lunch with them because of it; make for really feeling alone at times. Even the children finish long time before me and I am always last at the table, only the wife eats slow so she can stay with me so I don’t feel so bad. Just glad everyone here understands about our new normal and how it can sometimes make big changes in our lives.

    Hondo

    Last one at the table.
    Yep. I won't eat with my family. Why bother? They all get up and leave after 5 - 10 minutes, then I am left with 5 dogs acting like a pack of wolves. Well, Nizzy guards me, but the rest are savages and are trying to get my food, and Thor is 200 lbs. He bullies me. I cannot deal with it. Not to mention I have to bring my own food anyway.

    Hondo, you need to drink more calories, dude! If you were with me, I'd fatten your keister up.

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