feeding tube

[Tina]

Hello all,

my aunty is having a feeding tube inserted into her stomach this week for ANH since the doc's prognosis is she will require long-term nutrition through a PEG because she will not tolerate nasal feeding.

I saw her last weekend and was amazed. Her eyes are open, clear and blue, they follow you around the room or move in the direction of where your voice is coming from. The movements in her left arm are more coordinated, stronger, purposeful, and she turns her head when she hears voices.
She pulled out the nasal tube that they tried to fit, so is currently just on various fluids and minerals, etc., but will go to the bigger regional hospital this week to have the PEG done.

I've looked at the information available on different sites, so I have an idea of the procedure, risks, benefits, etc., but I was wondering if any of you and your loved ones had experiences with PEGs. Did the feeding work without hitches, were there infections, did the patients tolerate the tube, etc.?

Grateful for any comments and stories!!
Tina

 

[mel]

Hi Tina
Sorry I've no experience at all but I just wanted to say how pleased I am that your aunty is so much stronger now than she has been.
Take care
love

 

[jarnee]

Hi

I don't know much about it, except that I asked a friend of mine (who is a hospital consultant) about it when my mum was ill and he said that she would only be offered a peg if the docs thought it was "worth it". He said that it would make a big difference to her and was a procedure rather than an operation.

not much help, but he seemed to think they were good

Jarnee
xxxxxx

 

[Tender Face]

Hiya Tina!

Well what amazing news about your aunt! Talk about having to expect the unexpected!

My hubby had to be temporarily fed direct to what was left of his 'gastro-tract' following major surgery - and absolutely no probs - having said that a very different ball game when it's just one of many tubes I guess - and no dementia issues. Previously my FIL had a 'tube' in the latter stages of his life ... but again no dementia -so whilst I can offer a couple of snippets of 'anecdotal' 'Everything was fine' - I have no idea how a patient with dementia issues might react ... I wonder if the issue of having something 'alien' in/around your body may have a greater/lesser impact?

Your aunt is obviously a remarkable woman. I doubt the medics would suggest it if they did not believe she would 'tolerate' it on both a physical or mental level.

Best of luck, and thanks for sharing this remarkable news!

Love, Karen, x

 

[pembie]

PEG feeding

My mother-in-law had a PEG following a stroke that had rendered her both unable to swallow safely and largely unresponsive. (There had been concern prior to stroke that she might be developing dementia, but I was not convinced; seemed to me more like severe anxiety with perhaps depression.)

As we lived several hundred miles away, we could not visit often, but we did not gather from a daughter living close by, that there was a significant, or even any, improvement in her condition.

M-in-L lived another 2-3 years, had to be transferred from long-stay NHS unit to General Hospital whenever the tube needed replacing. Finally Doctors decided to consult with family and ultimately, decision was taken not to replace tube next time it blocked or needed changing.

Hope this helps

Pembie

 

[Tina]

but we did not gather from a daughter living close by, that there was a significant, or even any, improvement in her condition.
Hope this helps

Pembie

Thanks everyone for your replies. Pembie, the above is what I expected really. I suppose feeding through the tube might mean she could gain a little bit of weight to give her a bit more strength. We're just taking it day by day and we don't know if this latest "improvement" will be short-lived or not, whether there'll be another stroke in the offing or an infection or whatever. Or whether things will just continue to be as stable as can be expected under the circumstances.
I was just concerned about the use of the tube and whether people found it "easy" to deal with and if it worked efficiently while it was being used, if there were any problems such as inflammation, constipation, etc.
Thanks again for your comments,
Tina