If you have a loved one who suffers from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, there is at least one problem you are going to have to face. At some point while helping someone with ALS, you will encounter a problem which will not be pretty nor enjoyable to deal with. At some point, you are going to have to install a PEG tube, in order for your loved one to be able to eat and drink effectively, and be sustained to some extent. In time, a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig disease is going to be lethal to the unfortunate individual. But helping someone with ALS to live as long and as well as possible may very well hinge on your willingness to help them by installing a PEG tube.
The percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy tube (which is also known as a PEG tube) is inserted directly into an ALS patient, and is designed for helping someone with ALS to be able to keep up their strength and maintain some amount of good health, even through their condition. When a person uses a PEG tube, their inability to eat and drink (which are caused by the pervasive muscular effects of Lou Gehrig Disease) becomes a non issue. As this is the kind of thing that can prolong a person's life by months or even years, it is a very useful possibility for the family who believes that their loved one is still experiencing a high quality of life.
So when you are helping someone with ALS to stay alive and live as well as they can with Lou Gehrig Disease, you need to consider the possibility that a PEG tube may one day be the difference between a life that is lived with some mild to moderate discomfort, and a potentially painful death caused by dehydration or starvation. The timing for the PEG tube can actually be a major factor in its proper deployment. If you do not put it in until the person is experiencing severe problems, then it may not be all that effective. And consider that the lack of morale experienced by an inability to eat properly is not helping someone with ALS to feel like a person – no one really wants to feel like "a cripple" who needs to be tended to on a constant basis. And a PEG tube can actually be a part of helping someone with ALS to feel a little bit more independent.
The ways you can identify when to put in a PEG tube are fairly obvious. You will eventually notice that as your loved one's Lou Gehrig Disease progresses, their muscles will function less effectively. And this may not completely inhibit the ability of their arms to bring food and drink to their mouth, before it affects the ability of their mouth to properly swallow. After all, if a piece of food or a beverage "goes down the wrong tube," it can lead to pneumonia. When the person you love can no longer swallow without coughing, it is most likely time to have a PEG tube put in.
