Wounds

luvmum
luvmum Member Posts: 457 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Dear all,

My mum has a power port implanted last Wed and the whole process was so painful and she has two 5cm long wounds, one below the collarbone, one slightly above her breast. Does anyone of you who had the port implanted before also have two wounds?

Besides the surgeon put the port slightly above her breast instead of below the collarbone. Is it normal? The other GP in the hospital wasn't able to locate the port nor could he use it for infusion! We were hoping she can use it immediately!

Anyone of you have similar situation?
I asked the surgeon and he said it's normal to have two wounds but he didn't answer me why would they put the port near her breast!
Your kind sharing would be highly appreciated!

Best regards,
Dora

Comments

  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #2
    Dora:
    George only had one wound for his port. I don't understand why they were not able to locate the port once it is implanted for it is a noticeable bump under the skin and you should be able to use it 24 hours after implantation. Hopefully the ladies will chime in as to where their ports are placed. I would guess that George's incision area for the port is at least an inch long and closed with tape strips that come off by themselves, they can infuse through the tape if necessary. Not being able to locate the port doesn't sound right unless there is a lot of swelling, you should be able to see it.

    I'm sorry you mom is having a difficult time with her port placement. George was not in any pain after insertion, he had pain pills but did not need them.

    Tina
  • hopeforcure49
    hopeforcure49 Member Posts: 111
    #3
    Hi Dora
    I had my port placed on my left side just mid between collar bone and breast. I had a small incision and the one for the port. It healed well with in a week or two. They were able to use it in a few days when my chemo was due. It was accessed without problem. The only thing is that I developed a clot and my arm turned purple and my neck was painful and hard to breathe. My body rejected it. I had to have it removed and placed on anticouagulants, this keeps the blood thin and decreases clot formation. I'm not saying this will happen to your mom. But then I opted not to have another inserted. So placed a powerport picc line in my right arm and it lasted 5 months. I had this one removed prior to surgery. Now I have a power port on my right side. but it has the 2 ports hanging out. I just keep them tucked in my bra. Just have to be careful with these. they can't get wet. Hope its all works out well for your mom. Blessings from Lourdes.
  • AnneCan
    AnneCan Member Posts: 3,673 Member
    #4
    Dora
    I am sorry your Mom has had a hard time with this. My port is placed a few inches below my collarbone. I had two incisions; one is very small. Both incisions are almost invisible. I had my port placed in June/09. I am not sure why they couldn't locate the port to use it. I hope all gets resolved soon.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #5
    Port
    My Power Port was located on my right side below the collar bone with one small and one larger incision. I'm with the others, why they couldn't locate the port to access. Mine stuck out like a big marble under my skin - no mistaken that lump. Make sure your mom gets a prescription for Lidocaine. It will numb the area prior to the nurses accessing the area. Good luck to your mom and hope she heals well from it very soon.

    Kim
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    #6
    Power Port
    Hmmm... I had my power port installed this past Thurs (day after your mom). I have two incisions... 1 very small one on the right hand side at the base of my neck and the other one which is about an inch right under my collarbone. The port itself is a little lower than the incision and to the left so that it is not under my bra strap (I give the surgeon mega brownie points for thinking of this). It is a good 2-3 inches above the top of my breast so I wouldn't say it is "near the breast" per se.

    As for pain... I had tenderness where if you touched the area it was definitely tender to the touch... but I wouldn't say painful. Not like when I had one put in back in 2007... now at that time I think I can honestly say I was in agony. I couldn't lift my right arm for a good 10 days. But my arm has been very flexible and fine to move this time.

    There is a small amount of bruising just under the port, and definitely yellow bruising at the incision line... but the bruising doesn't hurt.... more like just discolouration. I had tape over both surgical cuts, and then a dressing on top of each. I had to change the dressing for 2 days (Fri and Sat) and today I took them off. Ha... I also took the tape off... was I suppose to leave that until it came off on it's own? Oh well. :D

    I had a full, hot shower, for the first time today since Thursday morning. DID that ever feel good... and I got to wash my hair. I was told no shower and not to get the wounds wet until after 48 hours. I miscalculated... I could have had my shower last night, but waited until this morning... and now I feel like a normal, clean human being.

    I'm sorry your mom was in such pain. I know that can happen (been there, done that), just as I know it can be done with no, or very little discomfort. So I guess it all comes down to the surgeon's personal style.

    As for the two surgical cuts... one is for putting the port in and positioning it. The other is for the catheter part... the surgeon has to thread the catheter to a large vein, so he/she works out of the second cut to place the catheter. My old one back in 2007, there was only one surgical cut... and I have no idea where he threaded the catheter... but I certainly did have a lot of pain afterwards and the right half of my right breast turned a god-awful purple, green and yellow colour (bruising). This time, there was a second cut, up on the base of my neck... and he said that the catheter gets put into a large vein in the neck. Minimal bruising this time and the right breast was totally unaffected.

    Cheryl
  • jararno
    jararno Member Posts: 186
    #7
    Power Port
    I had my power port installed by my surgeon last spring. There were two incisions. One very small "nick" close to the collar bone and a larger incison closer to the right breast. The Port itself is almost on the breast. There is a slight lump where the port sits and there have been times where medical personel have had issues placing the needle especially if they are new to Power Ports. My port has been a bit of a problem as there were many times where they could not get a blood draw. No blood draw equals no chemo until I had a dye study to make sure everything was in the proper place!

    Hopefully your Mom will be feeling better soon....I know I felt kinda crappy after the Port was placed and I still had stitches when I went for my first Chemo which freaked out the Chemo nurse!

    The port is supposed to be a bit smaller and has a different shape than some other ports. Hopefully they will have better luck locating the port.

    Take Care,

    Barb
  • luvmum
    luvmum Member Posts: 457 Member
    #8
    A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!
    Dear all,

    Thank you so so so much for your valuable sharing and detailed information. They certainly give me a better idea of what my mum would expect.

    Unfortunately, her wounds still have bruises and the one on her breast is swollen. The doctor didn't feel comfortable to insert the infusion set there to infuse high calorie fluid there. In the end, he has to use her hands in turns and she has both of her hands and arms all swollen too. She was so grumpy this morning and almost yelled at me that she doesn't want to stay in the hospital anymore and wanted to go home. =(

    I really really appreciate all your detailed and informative sharing with me.
    My best wishes to you all for great health and recovery!
    Dora

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