Peg feeding

[Daughterofafigher]

Hi my dad has recently been diagnosed with central lung cancer he has spoken to his dietitian and they have told him he will need a peg fitted this is all new to us and we are obviously very worried can anyone tell me how it works and how they are fitted please many thanks

[jillygirl]

Hi Daughterofafighter, I dont know exactly how the peg feed is fitted, however I used to be a carer and had a patient with a peg feed. Once the tube is fitted it is similar to when you have a intravenous drip. the liquid food comes in bags which are similar to when you have a blood transfusion. Its quite a simple thing and doesnt hurt the patient.

If you want to know more have a word with Nicky the admin or call 03333237200

who will help and explain.

[Daughterofafigher in reply to jillygirl]

Thankyou very much for getting back to me x

[simlut]

Good morning, my friend had a peg fitted before starting her treatment for mouth and throat cancer as she’d already lost a lot of weight and couldn’t open her mouth to eat solid food.

It was fine and she just got on with her life as normal. It was like a plug in her stomach with tubes hanging out that you just plug a bottle of liquid food into and squeeze the bottle so the liquid goes straight into your stomach.

Her peg fell out months later in the shower but by then they were happy she was eating enough so she didn’t have it replaced and it just healed up on its own.

Sending your dad prayers and big hugs to you all xxx

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Welcome to the forum and so sorry to hear of your Dad having lung cancer and how difficult this must be for you all.

A PEG tube is a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube, which basically means that under sedation, an endoscopy tube is used to guide the doctor where to place the feeding tube through the abdominal wall into the stomach.

The feed is given through a pump most of the day at a slow rate, it may be stopped for a few hours to give the stomach a rest.

It is an effective way of providing nutrition for those that have problems eating or swallowing, this can be either temporary or permanent. The dietitian will be able to advise the process of the tube insertion and how the pump will work. The district nurses normally support the person at home with this and their family.

Your Dads local hospital may have an online patient information leaflet on PEG tube insertion and will explain this. Meanwhile, you may wish to look at this link from the NHS Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham which explains the PEG tube insertion very well: uhb.nhs.uk/Downloads/pdf/Pi...

You may wish to have another discussion with the dietitian or your Dads lung cancer nurse specialist.

This link from Macmillan support provides some useful information on PEG nutrition, after care and what to expect: macmillan.org.uk/cancer-inf...

If there is anything else you would like to discuss you can either email us at [e-mail] or call our freephone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200

Kind regards

The Roy Castle Support Team