Mediport 1st treatment timing

Steve Z

I'm having my mediport implanted next Tuesday. Onc says I can start chemo the next day. The sooner the better in my opinion. Does anyone have any experiences to share?

Shayenne

Hey Steve!
My doctors who put my port in, scheduled me for chemo a few weeks later, since they wanted the incision to heal before chemo, but I have heard of others getting their chemo the day after as well.

Now, you might want to get some emola cream (Lidocaine)which is a numbing cream, it's wonderful! you glob it on real thick over your port area (not your incision, keep a gauze on that)and then put some saran wrap on top of the cream so you don't get it all over about an hour before you go to get your chemo, that way you don't feel them accessing it, it's heaven!

They use a huge piece of tape after they access you, too keep it in place, you will want a piece of gauze (I ask for it alot) a little 2x2 or something, so that the tape doesn't stick to the scab (incision), I had a nurse tape it one day, and when my home health nurse saw it, she knew it would hurt me when she took it off, and once it was off, the scab came off with the tape! it hurt like heck!! needless to say, it also got infected, and took a long time healing with alot of neosporin!

What kind of chemo are they putting you on? Folfox or Folfiri?

Hugsss!
~Donna

thready

Mediport
I had my mediport placed a little more than a week before treatment. I asked how long before treatment I needed to have it put in and the surgeons office said that it could be used right away. My port area still has swelling even after over a week, but it worked. I think others can help you also with special tricks. I was given an RX for numbing cream and that helped. The nurse also sprayed a topical on the site.
Jan

Kathryn_in_MN

Everyone is different, but
Everyone is different, but pretty much plan on it being swollen and sore if you start chemo the next day.

If you stick with this plan, I would ask for the surgeon that implants it to leave it accessed for you if you are starting the next day. In the hospital they leave them accessed and just have to flush them once per day.

If you have a lot of swelling it is painful when they push around to find it and to find the center for access. One week after placement (yesterday) I needed fluids and I'm still very swollen and it was still painful to go through. But I'm a severe case on this entire port thing...

Another thing you might want to consider - giving your body a bit to recover from the anesthesia they use when putting it in. The toxicity levels our bodies have to deal with are tough with all these drugs. The less chemicals you make it deal with at once, the better.

The first time I had my PowerPort put in a week before chemo was to start. Unfortunately that plan didn't work - it got infected right away, caused a hospital stay and had to come out. Then I had to heal the open wound (drain) before getting another one. I had it put in last Tuesday and started chemo Thursday. It isn't my first choice to do it so quickly, but in my extreme/delayed case it was the best option.

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me. Ask for a prescription for Emla cream. You can put this on liberally about an hour before they are going to access you. Then get some Glad Press & Seal plastic and cut a square to press over it to keep it from getting on your clothes. You'll never feel the stick no matter how new and sore the port is if you use this cream. However you WILL feel them pushing to find the port and the insertion point, and it will be uncomfortable for a few days to a few weeks. Later you shouldn't have pain or discomfort with it anymore. (Except in rare cases.)

Good luck to you whatever you decide!

AnneCan

Port
I had my port implanted the day before I started chemo. My sister-in-law (an oncology nurse) said this is the best way to do it, she said just to make sure it was left accessed so that I wouldn't have to go through being "pricked" again so soon. It worked out very well for me. The area itself was tender from the surgery, but that was it. Good luck!

Fight for my love

My husband got his port
My husband got his port inserted a week ago,today is his first chemo day.

Holdtight

Kathryn_in_MN said:

Everyone is different, but
Everyone is different, but pretty much plan on it being swollen and sore if you start chemo the next day.

If you stick with this plan, I would ask for the surgeon that implants it to leave it accessed for you if you are starting the next day. In the hospital they leave them accessed and just have to flush them once per day.

If you have a lot of swelling it is painful when they push around to find it and to find the center for access. One week after placement (yesterday) I needed fluids and I'm still very swollen and it was still painful to go through. But I'm a severe case on this entire port thing...

Another thing you might want to consider - giving your body a bit to recover from the anesthesia they use when putting it in. The toxicity levels our bodies have to deal with are tough with all these drugs. The less chemicals you make it deal with at once, the better.

The first time I had my PowerPort put in a week before chemo was to start. Unfortunately that plan didn't work - it got infected right away, caused a hospital stay and had to come out. Then I had to heal the open wound (drain) before getting another one. I had it put in last Tuesday and started chemo Thursday. It isn't my first choice to do it so quickly, but in my extreme/delayed case it was the best option.

One of the best pieces of advice someone gave me. Ask for a prescription for Emla cream. You can put this on liberally about an hour before they are going to access you. Then get some Glad Press & Seal plastic and cut a square to press over it to keep it from getting on your clothes. You'll never feel the stick no matter how new and sore the port is if you use this cream. However you WILL feel them pushing to find the port and the insertion point, and it will be uncomfortable for a few days to a few weeks. Later you shouldn't have pain or discomfort with it anymore. (Except in rare cases.)

Good luck to you whatever you decide!

HI! Kathryn
I know you have had some unfortunate rounds with your port so I have a question for you. The morning of being disconnected from my third infusion I woke up wet around my port. When the tech came out to defuse me I told him and after he disconnected me there were 2 clear drops of fluid that came out of the needle whole. He said it could be my body fluids do you know anything about this. Any help thanks. Hugs.

Patteee

I had my port in and a week
I had my port in and a week later was set to start chemo. Only I was sick that day, so it was delayed another week. Ended up getting it 2 weeks from when the port was put it.

Patteee

Holdtight said:

HI! Kathryn
I know you have had some unfortunate rounds with your port so I have a question for you. The morning of being disconnected from my third infusion I woke up wet around my port. When the tech came out to defuse me I told him and after he disconnected me there were 2 clear drops of fluid that came out of the needle whole. He said it could be my body fluids do you know anything about this. Any help thanks. Hugs.

could it have been a leak
could it have been a leak from the chemo? exactly how wet were you that morning? Those needles are quite long and they do tape you up good to prevent it slipping and leaking. One time mine was majorally itching around the needle- and I was doing everything to try and scratch it- and I ended up accidentally pulling out he needle. OOPS I knew enough to shut the valve thingy immediately- then called the home health people. They changed the needle and bandages. Even then, it didn't leak.

Mine was usually an area for yeast growing- a little bit of sweat or water from the shower would get trapped under that tape and then watch out. When I was disconnected then the area was always damp.

dmdwins

Fight for my love said:

My husband got his port
My husband got his port inserted a week ago,today is his first chemo day.

Same day
Hi Steve

I got my port put in-they left it accessible and I had treatment that same day! I was super anxious to get the chemo party going. It was fine just made for a very long day.

Smiles,
Dawn

Steve Z

Thanks
Thanks for all of your helpful responses. I had the power port implanted on Tues. They left it accessed. The process wasn't that bad. Yesterday was my first Chemo. Donna, it's FloFox. Again the process wasn't bad. The people there were great. It seamed more like a comedy troop than what I was anticipating. The only thing bothering me is the same thing that Kathy talked about. My first bite of food, hot food, at any meal creates serious pain in my jaw. I feels like my salivary glands are in overdrive. After that bite I can eat without any pain.

I had some tingling this morning when I walked the dog, it was 38 this morning. Some leg pain that I'm associating with fatigue, but other than that it was back to work.

AnneCan

sounds like you did well!
Congratulations; it sounds like you did very well; I am glad the insertion & start went smoothly.