Tell me about port removal, please

JanJan63
JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member

I'm having my port-o-cath removed next Thursday because it's coming through the skin where the bumps are. Two bumps are already exposed and it hurts and it needs to come out. Anyway, how rough is it to have one removed. One woman at the cancer centre said when they take the tube that goes up the vein out it feels horrible. I had a bad experience when they put it in because they hit a nerve and the pain was excrutiating for a few days after and I'm scared to get it out.

If you've had yours out or know someone that did can you reassure me or is it nasty? Thank you!

Jan

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Comments

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,280 Member
     
    Had mine taken out during

     

    Had mine taken out during my last liver resection, but I was told it's an easy outpatient thing, much simpler than installation. Good luck with it, it feels good not to have the bump anymore.

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    Didn't feel a thing

    I was petrified. I had it scheduled in office so knew I was going to have a local.  

    Needles, how I hate them. 

    Well, the needles were so small I couldn't feel them. The area was numbed up and I didn't feel a thing. I was in and out in no time  

    I went away a happy person. 

    good luck. All will be well. 

    Sue - Ed

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    easy

    I had mine out with just local, and it was easy. A bit sore after, but no big deal. 

  • db8ne1
    db8ne1 Member Posts: 142 Member
    Piece of Cake!

    I also had pain when it was put in.  They must have hit a nerve and I had to be on pain killers for 2 days - and could barely move my neck and mouth.

    Having it removed - with a local - was a breeze.  The only thing was that it took a bit as the surgeon had difficulty getting to the sutures - so he had to dig a lot.  Got a lot of lidocaine.  No pain afterwards!  Yay!

     

    I hope your removal goes as smoothly.

     

    J

  • zx10guy
    zx10guy Member Posts: 273 Member
    It's interesting everyone has

    It's interesting everyone has had theirs put and removed via local.  I had first procedure to place my port via general anesthesia.  My surgeon wasn't able to get the port in for what ever reason.  So the second attempt was done via "twilight" anesthesia by the radiology team with the help of ultrasound.  I don't remember which anesthesia I was placed under when they removed my port.  I think it was general.  Not sure why my medical team has chosen this path.  But with all the procedures, I was sent home after the procedure was done.

  • John212
    John212 Member Posts: 116 Member
    Local here, too

    I had my port removed in February of this year and it was done in the surgeon's office under a local. After his first couple of actions I asked him to give me a second hit of the anesthetic but after that I could only feel general sensations of being tugged and pulled a bit as he worked his way around the port cutting the sutures that kept it sewn to my chest muscles. I think it took him about 15 minutes altogether. We spent almost as much time talking about rock music in operating rooms after he finished as he had taken for the removal.

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    John212 said:

    Local here, too

    I had my port removed in February of this year and it was done in the surgeon's office under a local. After his first couple of actions I asked him to give me a second hit of the anesthetic but after that I could only feel general sensations of being tugged and pulled a bit as he worked his way around the port cutting the sutures that kept it sewn to my chest muscles. I think it took him about 15 minutes altogether. We spent almost as much time talking about rock music in operating rooms after he finished as he had taken for the removal.

    Thank you so much for the

    Thank you so much for the reassurances everyone. I've become quite a baby about things being done to me. I'll sure be glad to have it out. Having something that seems like it's already infected that goes into my vein is scary. I didn't realize it was sutured down. Once they hit the nerve and my heart went crazy and they called in a heart doctor right away that was all I could focus on. And, yes, I had a local for the insertion and it's a local for the removal.

    Jan

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    JanJan63 said:

    Thank you so much for the

    Thank you so much for the reassurances everyone. I've become quite a baby about things being done to me. I'll sure be glad to have it out. Having something that seems like it's already infected that goes into my vein is scary. I didn't realize it was sutured down. Once they hit the nerve and my heart went crazy and they called in a heart doctor right away that was all I could focus on. And, yes, I had a local for the insertion and it's a local for the removal.

    Jan

    Insertion

    I didn't have a local for the placement, but it wasn't a general either. I had propofol (think Micheal Jackson), which knocks you out without being as dangerous as general anesthetic.

    Insertion is allot more complicated than removal, and that is why they can remove it in the office. Its a sterile procedure where you are awake. 

    Saying that, my friend got put out for her removal, because she requested it. 

    Sue - Trubrit

  • sflgirl
    sflgirl Member Posts: 220 Member
    JanJan63 said:

    Thank you so much for the

    Thank you so much for the reassurances everyone. I've become quite a baby about things being done to me. I'll sure be glad to have it out. Having something that seems like it's already infected that goes into my vein is scary. I didn't realize it was sutured down. Once they hit the nerve and my heart went crazy and they called in a heart doctor right away that was all I could focus on. And, yes, I had a local for the insertion and it's a local for the removal.

    Jan

    I'm with you

    Instead of getting tougher by going through all this I'm getting to be quite a baby too.  You hang in there and congrats on getting the port out.  Can't wait to get the constant reminder out.

    Best,

    Andrea

  • Maxiecat
    Maxiecat Member Posts: 544 Member
    I had mine taken out last

    I had mine taken out last fall...in my surgeon's office.  It really didn't hurt much...mine was rather buried in there, so they had to give me some additional numbing medicine.  I guess the worst part of it was the bit of tugging and pulling on it to get it out...but really, it was not too bad. 

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    And just to add

    I also had a belly port (for intraperitoneal chemo) which was removed in the surgeon's office "Procedure Room" under local.  I talked with him throughout the procedure, felt nothing, and enjoyed his comments: "Boy, I really sutured that one in!  It wasn't going to move!"

     

  • alabama_survivor
    alabama_survivor Member Posts: 85
    I'm from the BC board.  Mine

    I'm from the BC board.  Mine was put in under a general anesthesia, and was removed when I had my mastectomy.  I found it interesting that he removed it through the mastectomy incision rather than going through the original port scar.  I'm one that is a baby, which is interesting since I have a high threshhold for pain.  I would always rather be sedated.  It doesn't seem like anything should bother me after chemo and radiation (I was one that developed raw, weepy sores and had one place get infected), but that wasn't the case.

  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    Sloan won't do it while you

    Sloan won't do it while you are awake so mine was very easy.  It just hurt for a few days but not cancer hurt, more like stubbed my toe hard hurt.  The nerve thing isn't very fun.  I hope they are much better taking it out than putting it in.  

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    Helen321 said:

    Sloan won't do it while you

    Sloan won't do it while you are awake so mine was very easy.  It just hurt for a few days but not cancer hurt, more like stubbed my toe hard hurt.  The nerve thing isn't very fun.  I hope they are much better taking it out than putting it in.  

    Hitting the nerve made it

    Hitting the nerve made it feel like I had a hot iron on my chest and into my neck and shoulder for a few days. The pain was terrible. I called them the next day and they said to take Tylenol. I wasn't happy that they didn't tell me ahead of time that it might hurt that much and give me an Rx for a good painkiller. I'll be glad to have it out. It sticks out ad makes me scared every time someone tries to hug me because they often press on it and make it hurt. I have it covered all the time with a bandage now because of it being open but I usually did before, too, just for protection.

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    Helen321 said:

    Sloan won't do it while you

    Sloan won't do it while you are awake so mine was very easy.  It just hurt for a few days but not cancer hurt, more like stubbed my toe hard hurt.  The nerve thing isn't very fun.  I hope they are much better taking it out than putting it in.  

    Sloan removed mine under local

    Actually, mine was removed at Sloan under local.  The dr doing it wanted an IV line in for sedation, but I couldn't tolerate the IV - my veins were in such pain that when the nurse saw me sitting in tears of pain waiting for the procedure, she spoke to the dr and they removed the IV.  The Oxaliplatin left me with highly sensitive veins; even a normal blood draw was extremely painful for about a year - not the needle stick, but the actual embedded line for drawing blood.  For my port removal,  I just had local and was fine.  Of note, the drs who placed my ports had no problem doing that under local, and the dr who removed my belly port did that under local as well.  No problems at all.

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,427 Member
    Helen321 said:

    Sloan won't do it while you

    Sloan won't do it while you are awake so mine was very easy.  It just hurt for a few days but not cancer hurt, more like stubbed my toe hard hurt.  The nerve thing isn't very fun.  I hope they are much better taking it out than putting it in.  

    YES!!!

    Good to hear, put me out and take it out when the time comes :) (I am at Sloan)  They put it in without general, but the twilight zone stuff.  There was times I was talking during the procedure and cracking jokes.  And I asked for Pink Floyd in recovery, thought it was appropriate.  And they found it for me.  

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,427 Member
    abrub said:

    Sloan removed mine under local

    Actually, mine was removed at Sloan under local.  The dr doing it wanted an IV line in for sedation, but I couldn't tolerate the IV - my veins were in such pain that when the nurse saw me sitting in tears of pain waiting for the procedure, she spoke to the dr and they removed the IV.  The Oxaliplatin left me with highly sensitive veins; even a normal blood draw was extremely painful for about a year - not the needle stick, but the actual embedded line for drawing blood.  For my port removal,  I just had local and was fine.  Of note, the drs who placed my ports had no problem doing that under local, and the dr who removed my belly port did that under local as well.  No problems at all.

    Dang, just knock me out

    :)

  • JanJan63
    JanJan63 Member Posts: 2,478 Member
    NewHere said:

    YES!!!

    Good to hear, put me out and take it out when the time comes :) (I am at Sloan)  They put it in without general, but the twilight zone stuff.  There was times I was talking during the procedure and cracking jokes.  And I asked for Pink Floyd in recovery, thought it was appropriate.  And they found it for me.  

    Good for you NewHere! Two

    Good for you NewHere! Two more days and I get mine out.

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,427 Member
    JanJan63 said:

    Good for you NewHere! Two

    Good for you NewHere! Two more days and I get mine out.

    Celebrate

    Go get 'em.   Has to feel like you crossed a real milestone.

    My Onc said he will take it out rather quickly after my chemo is done.  

    If I knew how Trubrit does her dancing man, I would post one for you.

  • danker
    danker Member Posts: 1,276 Member
    NewHere said:

    Celebrate

    Go get 'em.   Has to feel like you crossed a real milestone.

    My Onc said he will take it out rather quickly after my chemo is done.  

    If I knew how Trubrit does her dancing man, I would post one for you.

    port

    It is almost 5 yrs since I had my port removed,so I just don't remember what it was like.  It was done in the hospital though.