So sorry you are in this situation. It must be very difficult.
When hubby was in the hospital for a bad cold, he was wouldn’t eat, mainly due to weakness and fatigue. We opted not to do the tube and wait another day or two for him to recover, which thankfully he did. Hubby is much younger, did not have pneumonia, and is not at all frail. He also would have tried to pull the tube out, as he pulls everything off when he’s ill.
I would weigh the factors, but if he is losing weight and becoming frail without the tube, you may have to try it.
Also make sure the liquid diet you are giving him is palatable and something he likes…sometimes that’s a part of the problem (especially with hospital food) and time the feedings for when he is alert..,not according to your schedule.
I assume he’s had speech therapy or an ent evaluate his swallowing so you are making sure he doesn’t aspirate?
Feeding tubes can also cause a host of problems that can worsen congestion. Have you had the chance to have a serious "goals of care" conversation with him and his medical team? Perhaps a consultation with a local hospice provider can provide some options regardless of whether or not he chooses to do a feeding tube.
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