My mum had a severe stroke 3 months ago and is still in hospital . She cannot swallow and is being fed through a nasal tube.
Doctors want to move the tube to the stomach so she can be moved from hospital into a home. She mostly sleeps and seems very weak, but sometimes she says the odd word. We have concerns with them moving the tube, as she has been on antibiotics constantly for infections ..... and only had the odd day without. Currently she has low potassium ...and has a potassium bag. We feel she is too weak for the feed to be moved but the hospital cannot shift her out while she has a nasal tube. We are going in for a meeting on Friday with all doctors ...Any suggestions ...should we let them move the feed?
Putting in a peg is one of the simplest "surgeries." I watched them take my dad's out and realized it's just a small incision in the abdomen, then into the stomach. As long as you take basic steps to prevent infection after the incision, there's no huge recovery for this procedure. It's slightly more complicated than putting an IV in. Please don't worry too much about it, and focus on anything that gives your mom back some quality of life. I'm sure she'd like to get out of the hospital...? Good luck to you and your mom.
So, yes, Krissy, I would say allow the doctors to move to a peg type tube. There will be home nurses for follow up care and you can learn how to flush the tube. My dad had one. It wasn't that difficult to deal with. I actually liked that I knew - by utilizing the peg - that he was getting nutrition regularly since he was severely underweight at the time.
There's nothing particularly scary about a peg tube. They're more common for long term feeding than the nasal kind.
The PEG insertion procedure is relatively simple. While it does require skilled nursing in the beginning, the nurses teach the family how to feed her themselves and do it safely. If your mom had AD follow her wishes. If she doesn't get your family together (include your mom if she is able) and discuss quality vs quantity of life for her future. "Massive" stroke doesn't sound very positive nor hopeful. Palliative care may be your option. As others mentioned, if she is immobile she can develop bedsores, one among a multitude of conditions that will only make her weaker. It's a rough decision. My mom too had a stroke and at 89 y/o I chose Hospice for her, and never regretted my decision. She passed comfortably and with dignity, and I had the honor of being with her when she passed. Good luck.
If her doctors are recommending this for your mother you would have to have very sound reasons for rejecting their advice. Ask them to explain in more detail anything you're still concerned about, such as whether your mother is able to cope with the (comparatively minor) procedure; but I doubt if they would have proposed it if they didn't believe it was the best option available for your mother's overall comfort and wellbeing.
Looking at the date of your post I realise I'm too late: what was the outcome of your meeting?
Having recently lost my beloved mother-in-law, who had a living will and DNR, I can tell you that she made her wishes clear. My MIL had a good death - a death with dignity - and for that I am grateful. You have my sympathy.