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@mtborz

Hi. Thank you for your good wishes. There’s been mention of a feeding tube but no action even though my husband is agreeable. We have consulted with a dietitian several times. Her opinion is that my husband has lost significant weight. Her advice has always been about the food, e. g. small frequent portions, recipes, etc. The problem that no one is addressing is that my husband feels full. He has constant indigestion. I think there is something wrong with his esophagus (a narrowing, a partial obstruction) but it’s only my opinion.
Yes, I have communicated with the doctors via email and phone. I either get referred back to the test results (medical jargon) or the usual line: “these are normal side effects and it takes time”.

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Replies to "Hi. Thank you for your good wishes. There’s been mention of a feeding tube but no..."

@mtborz I am sorry to hear about your husband's suffering and yours as well. I had nasopharyngeal carcinoma and I had also the feeding tube for almost 4 months. I think you need to make sure his mouth and throat have optimal hygiene. Maybe he is having difficulties because of an fungal infection or so. So alcohol free mouth wash with biotin are necessary. The PEG tube allows the patient to take shakes like Ensure. But if he still can swallow why the tube? It is important that he keeps swallowing liquids and soft food if he can because the muscles need to be trained to do their job. A speech therapist should be able to help him make some exercises that can help him swallow. He can do a barium swallow to check what's going on. I used to prepare a mouth at home and take it at least 8 times per day. 1 liter of water+ 1 big spoon of sodium carbonates+ 3 spoons of salt. I used to eat soups rich in protein and antioxidants, drink carrot and tomato juice, etc. Bit by bit he will be able to eat normally with one inconvenient which is mouth and throat dryness. So he needs to drink a lot of water.

You sound very onto it. In my answer I was torn between not wanting him to lose weight and knowing the swallowing as a routine thing is so important to keep the muscles working. I'm really sorry he has to go through this and hope someone can put their finger on the problem.

If there is an obstruction, he needs to have his throat scoped. And when they go down they need to turn the scope so the can see everything back on the way up. Things get missed.