Of Pegs and Ports

Pegs and Ports!

Finally today I saw a lovely surgeon who is going to fit my PEG tube and Lifeport. The operation should take place next week and after that is done, my treatment can begin.

So why is all this necessary?

The PEG tube is a feeding tube. The radiation therapy is going to burn the cancer out of my throat. The pain associated with this can be immense and for most, eating becomes impossible. The solution then is to place a feed tube directly into the stomach though which liquid food can be injected via a (large) syringe.

The treatment lasts for seven weeks and it is vital to keep my weight and strength up. I’m actually glad of this as right now my stomach is flipping loops and the last thing on my mind is eating.

On a further note to the current virus, my immune system will be shot to pieces so during my treatment I will have to self-isolate.

The other piece of this is a life port which, in the kind words of the doctor this afternoon, stop the chemo burning out your veins! The life port is a means to inject the chemo directly into an artery.

We were so relieved today to finally make good progress and a light has appeared at the end of this long dark tunnel.

The treatment has a good success rate. So I am fingers and toes crossed that it works first time and I can resume a normal life again.

I’m sure the treatment will be testing. But I have to remember that there is no alternative. There is no plan B. There is no other escape route.

So I have a few days to wait for surgery and that is ok as there are several more days for the cancer team to design my radiation treatment plan. It seems everything is coming together at or about the same time. Awesome!

More to come as the situation changes….