infected port

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janpuck
janpuck Member Posts: 7
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi everyone, Stepson has port and is on a 2 week maintenance chemo. This past week he started running a low grade temp. late afternoon and night. He is currently in route to hosp. to have blood drawn and tested and be put on antibiotics, supposedly for infected port. (diagnosed over phone) No redness around port. Anyone with experience with this. Also been on steroid with the chemo. Drs say very unlikely that it could be from that, however, side effects of the steroid are much the same of what is happening to him.Would apppreciate any feedback.

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  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    #2
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    Not sure how they could think it is an infected port with no signs of that (redness, tenderness,swelling around it) but it is best to get checked as he is doing to find the source of infection. The steroids actually suppress the signs of infection so if he were not on them his temp could be higher. The steroids also tend to raise the white count a bit but they should have a good handle on that since they check each time he has his chemo. Hope they solve it soon.

    ****
  • maggi
    maggi Member Posts: 31
    #3
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    Don't know if you are familar with a pic line but I have one and its a central line in your upper arm straight into a large vein an I use it for hydration at home. Anyway I had same symptoms-fever and chills with no redness or swelling aroung line entrance. It turned out to be an infection and I was on intervenus antibiotics for 10 days. Hope this was some help Maggi
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    #4
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    Hi Jan, i agree with ****. I don't see how it can be an infected port unless it's the access area that got infected, and then it would be all red, and obvious. I get fevers off and on from all the secondary infections caused by a lowered immune system. I used to always blame them on the port, and a couple of times i did get a rash between it and the access, but never an infection. It constantly itches, and sometimes even hurts when i sleep on it. I have had the hardest time getting used to my port. It's as foreign to me as the cancer itself, and i cannot wait to have it removed. I will be hoping and praying that he does NOT have an infected port.

    Soon to be cancer free,
    Krista
  • kirsten1
    kirsten1 Member Posts: 23
    #5
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    Hi, I had a pick line that was clotting and infected...TONS OF PAIN!! I got that removed and had a hickman port (chest under the skin that is covered with a bandage and lines come out...for a long while it was thought that i had an infection...not so, turns out the chemo. was causing an allergy to topical alcohol(which is 70% of what was used to clean the area around the port)...no antibiotics needed, simply rotating where the bandage was to allow the air to reach the skin and cleaning with iodine rather than any alcohol based products...I also had a chest port placed after surgery and recently had it removed and although I informed everyone at the hospital that I could use no products with alcohol, I have a red, weepy rash starting...Nursing changed the bandage and cleaned with iodine and is already improving! Hope this helps.

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