Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Having a feeding tube placed: what happens | CION Cancer Clinics
For the commonest method, a PEG, you are sedated, a thin camera is passed down the throat into the stomach, and the tube is brought out through a small opening in the belly wall. The procedure is short and most people stay a night so the first feeds can be watched. This page walks through the day, the first week, and the signs that need same-day care. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MI
Medically reviewed by Dr. Mohammed ImaduddinConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (Surgical Oncology) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What actually happens when a feeding tube is placed?
- From the night before to going home
- What is normal in the first week, and what is not
- Words you will hear on the ward, in plain language
- Four worries we hear the night before, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about having a feeding tube placed
The short answer
What actually happens when a feeding tube is placed?
For the commonest method, a PEG, you are sedated, a thin camera is passed down your throat into the stomach, and the tube is brought out through a small opening in the belly wall. The procedure itself is short, and most people stay one night so the first feeds can be watched.
What you will be aware of
With sedation, most people remember very little. You may recall a spray to numb the throat, a mouthguard, and a feeling of pressure in the belly. You will not feel the opening being made, because the skin is numbed with local anaesthetic as well. Afterwards there is a sore patch around the tube, like a small wound, which settles over days.
If your tube is being placed a different way
A RIG is done in the X-ray department with local anaesthetic and sometimes light sedation, with no camera down the throat. A surgical gastrostomy is done under a general anaesthetic in theatre, usually as part of a bigger operation. The steps below are written for a PEG, but the first feeds and the going-home advice are much the same for all three.
Bring the family member who will do the feeding at home. The teaching happens on the ward, before discharge.Step by step
From the night before to going home
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The night before
You will be asked not to eat for some hours beforehand, and the team will tell you exactly when to stop. Blood thinners and diabetes medicines need a specific plan from your doctors; do not stop or change anything on your own.
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Arrival and consent
A cannula goes into a vein in the hand. The doctor explains the procedure again, answers questions and asks you to sign. An antibiotic is often given just before the start.
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The procedure
Sedation goes in through the cannula. The camera passes down the throat, the stomach is filled with air, and its light shows through the belly wall. The skin is numbed, a small cut is made, and the tube is pulled through and secured with a disc on each side.
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Recovery
You wake in a recovery area and are watched for a few hours. Nothing goes through the tube at first. The site is checked for bleeding and the belly for any unexpected pain.
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The first feed
Usually water first, then feed, on the same day or the next morning depending on the unit. The nurse watches how the stomach handles it and how you feel.
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Teaching and discharge
Before you leave, you and your carer are shown how to flush, feed, give medicines and clean the site, and are given a written sheet, a supply plan and a phone number.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe first days
What is normal in the first week, and what is not
Soreness at the site
Expected for the first few days, worse when you move or cough. Simple pain relief prescribed by the team settles it. Pain that is severe, spreading across the belly, or getting worse rather than better is not expected.
A little ooze or redness
A small amount of clear or pinkish fluid on the dressing, and mild redness right at the edge of the opening, are normal while it heals. Spreading redness, pus, or a bad smell are signs of infection.
Feeling full or bloated
Air was put into the stomach during the procedure, and the first feeds are new to it. Feeling full, burping and mild cramps are common. Vomiting the feed, or a belly that becomes hard and swollen, is not.
The tube itself
It should turn freely in the opening once the nurse says it is safe to rotate it, and the outer disc should sit close to the skin without digging in. A tube that is suddenly longer or shorter on the outside may have moved.
!
Go to the hospital the same day if
There is severe belly pain, a belly that is hard and swollen, blood soaking through the dressing, fever with shaking, or feed leaking onto the skin in the first days after placement. These can mean the stomach has pulled away from the belly wall or that feed is leaking inside. Stop feeding through the tube and go to the emergency department, taking your discharge sheet with you. Do not wait for the next clinic visit.
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On your discharge sheet
Words you will hear on the ward, in plain language
- Endoscope
- The thin flexible camera passed down the throat. The same instrument is used for an ordinary stomach camera test.
- Sedation
- Medicine through the cannula that makes you drowsy and relaxed. It is not a general anaesthetic; you breathe on your own and wake quickly.
- Stoma
- The opening in the skin where the tube comes out. Nurses talk about "the stoma site" when they mean the skin around it.
- Bumper or flange
- The flat disc inside the stomach and the one on the skin that together hold the tube in place.
- Advance and rotate
- Pushing the tube in slightly and turning it, done from a day or so after placement on the nurse's instruction, so the disc does not stick to the stomach wall.
Commonly believed
Four worries we hear the night before, and what is actually true
"It is a big operation."
A PEG or RIG is a procedure, not an operation in the usual sense. There is no theatre, no general anaesthetic and no large cut. It is closer to a camera test with a small extra step at the end. A surgical gastrostomy is different, and is usually done as part of a larger operation.
"I will be awake and feel everything."
With sedation, most people remember little or nothing. The skin is numbed as well, so the opening itself is not felt. What people do remember is soreness afterwards, which is real but short-lived and managed with ordinary pain relief.
"He will not be able to eat for weeks after."
If swallowing was safe before the tube, it is still safe after. The tube does not touch the throat. Feeding through the tube starts within a day, and eating by mouth carries on if the swallowing therapist has said it is safe.
"Once it is in, the family cannot manage it."
Families manage it every day across Telangana, often a son or daughter with no medical background. The ward teaches you before discharge and watches you do it. If you leave without feeling confident, say so and ask to be shown again.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you exactly how your own placement will go, because units differ in the small things: when the first feed is given, how many nights you stay, which dressing is used. Your discharge sheet overrides anything written here.
Who this procedure does not suit
A PEG is not possible when the camera cannot pass a narrowed throat, and the team will suggest a RIG instead. Neither is done when the stomach cannot be reached safely because of previous surgery, fluid in the belly or a very large liver, or when a bleeding problem cannot be corrected. In those cases a surgical route, or a tube into the bowel, is discussed.
What the procedure carries with it
Like any procedure, it has risks: infection at the site, bleeding, leaking, the tube coming out, and rarely injury to the bowel or feed leaking inside the belly. Your team will talk through these before you sign. Ask what the unit's own experience has been, and what signs would bring you back the same day.
If you have a date booked and are still unsure, call the helpline. A surgical oncologist can talk it through with you.Questions we are asked
Common questions about having a feeding tube placed
How long does the procedure take?
The placement itself is usually a matter of minutes once the sedation is working. The whole visit is much longer because of the preparation, the recovery time and the watching afterwards. Plan for a night in hospital, and ask your unit whether it discharges the same day or the next.
Will I be put to sleep?
For a PEG, usually sedation rather than a general anaesthetic. You are drowsy and relaxed, breathe on your own and wake quickly. For a RIG, local anaesthetic and sometimes light sedation. A surgical gastrostomy uses a general anaesthetic. The anaesthetist will confirm which applies to you.
Can I eat before the procedure?
No. You will be asked to stop eating for some hours beforehand so the stomach is empty and the camera can see. The unit will tell you exactly when to stop, and whether sips of water are allowed. If you are diabetic, ask for a specific plan for your medicines.
My father takes a blood thinner. Does it matter?
Yes, and the team must know before the day. Blood thinners and some other medicines need a plan from his own doctors and the surgeon together. Do not stop them on your own and do not assume the unit knows. Bring the full list of his medicines to the booking appointment.
When does feeding through the tube start?
Usually water first, then feed, on the same day or the next morning. The nurse watches the first feeds for discomfort or vomiting and adjusts the speed. By the time you go home the routine is set and written down.
Can I shower with the new tube?
Not in the first days, while the site is fresh. Your team will tell you when showering is fine, and from then on the site is simply dried afterwards. Baths, swimming and soaking are usually avoided for longer. Follow your discharge sheet rather than a general rule.
What if the tube falls out in the first week?
In the first weeks the track between skin and stomach has not formed, so a tube coming out is treated as urgent. Cover the site with a clean dressing, do not feed through anything, and go to the hospital the same day. Do not try to push it back in yourself.
Is placement covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
When it is part of an approved cancer treatment plan, it often is. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS are accepted at CION, and most cashless insurers are empanelled. Feed and supplies for home are separate, so ask about both before the date.
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Sources
- NHS — Gastroscopy
- Cancer Research UK — Diet problems with cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Nutrition in Cancer Care (PDQ) - Patient Version
- NICE — Nutrition support for adults (CG32)
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
PEG vs RIG vs surgical gastrostomyWhy one route was chosen over anotherFeeding through the tube at homeThe routine you will follow after dischargeWhat if the tube falls out?The one thing that is urgent in the first weeksMedicines around cancer surgeryBlood thinners and diabetes medicines before a procedureAnaesthesia for cancer surgerySedation and general anaesthetic explained
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