Swelling in armpit and neck

brianre
brianre Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Dx 5/09 with colon cancer with 11 liver mets. Currently on Folfiri with erbitux. Wednesday night I was vomiting and felt very sick Thursday, so they gave me IV fluids, potassium, and magnesium along with the erbitux, saying I most likely caught a viral infection because my wife had been sick previously in the week.

I have a port on the left side of my chest. This morning, when I took a shower, I noticed that my neck and armpit are swollen on the same side. The swelling is not painful but I am wondering what could be the cause. Has anyone had anything like this happen?

Thanks,
Brian

Comments

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #2
    Hi Brian
    I see this is your first post, so welcome to the forum:)

    When is the last time you got your port flushed? Were they able to get good blood draw the last they maintenanced your port? Supposed to be flushed and maintenanced every 30-days.

    It's possible that there could be a clot in this area of your body. Contact your onc at the first opportunity so they can examine it - they make take an X-ray or a CT scan to look at that area.

    If it were to swell up more or look worse, it might be prudent to go to the ER for precautions.

    So, ER over the w/end if it gets worse - and a phone call on Monday to your onc for a consultation - best advice I can give you here.

    -Craig
  • Lori-S
    Lori-S Member Posts: 1,277 Member
    #3
    Hi Brian
    Welcome to the board! Sorry you had to join but, happy to have you here where everyone shares their experience and love with each other.

    So, I would say, go the ER and don't take chances. I can't see how bad the swelling is from here in Las Vegas so you'll have to use your best judgement. I was going to say if it was me ... but honestly, I'm not really a great person to say that as I hate to go to the hospital and wait it out until I think I'm dying before I break down and go. Please don't be like me and make sure that you take care of getting this looked at and diagnosed. There is a real possibility that it is a blood clot and you really don't want to wait too long if it is. If you're just not sure go ahead and call your onc even if it is the weekend and see what they say to do about it.
  • brianre
    brianre Member Posts: 2
    #4
    Lori-S said:

    Hi Brian
    Welcome to the board! Sorry you had to join but, happy to have you here where everyone shares their experience and love with each other.

    So, I would say, go the ER and don't take chances. I can't see how bad the swelling is from here in Las Vegas so you'll have to use your best judgement. I was going to say if it was me ... but honestly, I'm not really a great person to say that as I hate to go to the hospital and wait it out until I think I'm dying before I break down and go. Please don't be like me and make sure that you take care of getting this looked at and diagnosed. There is a real possibility that it is a blood clot and you really don't want to wait too long if it is. If you're just not sure go ahead and call your onc even if it is the weekend and see what they say to do about it.

    Thanks everyone for your input
    Thank you for replying to my concerns over this situation. The good news is that waking up this morning the swelling has decreased. Although it has not completely gone away it has subsided. I am going to keep an eye on it the rest of the weekend and give my onc a call tomorrow just to double check if she would like me come in.

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