New Port - Not Liking It

Vickilg

Hi there... I had a port put in on Monday and was in pain the first two days in my neck and chest. Today I have discomfort and when I drink room temperature water I feel like there is something in my throat. Is this all normal? When will it go away?

smokeyjoe

Yeah, I had that too, you
Yeah, I had that too, you kinda get used to it. Still seem to have some discomfort on that side of my neck, not pain really, just a sort of tightness in the neck muscle. Wasn't prepared for the stick pain you get with the infusions though. Gotta find something to numb that when I go to get infusions. Maybe I'll just get used to it, but I doubt it.

abrub

smokeyjoe said:

Yeah, I had that too, you
Yeah, I had that too, you kinda get used to it. Still seem to have some discomfort on that side of my neck, not pain really, just a sort of tightness in the neck muscle. Wasn't prepared for the stick pain you get with the infusions though. Gotta find something to numb that when I go to get infusions. Maybe I'll just get used to it, but I doubt it.

Get a prescription for Emla cream
Emla is by Rx, but for some reason, the drs don't prescribe it unless asked about it. You gob it (the operant word is "gob" - should be a thick mess, not just some rubbed in) on the port area about an hour or so before you go to chemo, cover it with plastic wrap or a tegaderm. The nurse will remove the plastic and wipe off the cream before accessing your port. Then there is no stick pain at all.

SmokeyJoe, call your dr for it, so that you have it prior to your next infusion.

Vicki, you may not be able to use it on a fresh wound, but by your second infusion, the Emla will be okay. Ask for it.

I used it for my chest port and my belly port. Believe me, having a needle stuck in your belly is even worse than the chest, but after the Emla, I felt nothing. It is truly a god-send!

Buckwirth

Most of it goes away
You had surgery, it will take a couple of weeks to heal.

I only notice mine in the shower, or looking in a mirror. I was in the hospital recently and was so grateful to have it, so much better than a needle in your arm or your wrist.

The feeling in your throat does seem odd. Have you started treatment? Could it be the chemo?

CherylHutch

Hey Vicki
Totally normal to feel some discomfort, especially after just receiving the port. Although it is just a quick day surgery, it is a surgery and you body is wanting to reject any foreign object. The first one I had 4+ years ago, I was in pain for a good week or longer. Muscle pain where I couldn't raise my right arm and then bruising pain around the port (and we won't even discuss my purple boob . I was told the boob was bruised not because it had been banged up or anything but because the blood from the surgery would pool in the nearest gathering spot... voila my boob. I did complain to my surgeon about how much pain I had and difficult raising my right arm. He said that that was not unusual because he had to anchor the port so it wouldn't float around and he anchored it to muscle around my collarbone. That explanation seemed to make sense to me... and sure enough 7-10 days later all was fine and everything worked as normal

This second go round, I had a different surgeon put it in. I told him that I was prepared for being out of commission for a week or so because of the muscle involvement. He asked why I thought muscles would be involved, so I explained what I had gone through the first time. I also asked him if I had to come back to the hospital to see him to get the staples out or could I go to my family GP? He asked which surgeon I had last time... so I told him. His response? "Ahhhh yes, some of the older doctors are still of the old school way of thinking, so they attach the port to muscle and they staple up the wound after words. I won't be attaching it to muscles since that makes for pain... I'll attach it to tissue, which will be plenty secure enough and I'll be sewing you up with dissolvable stitches so you don't have to make an extra trip to see anyone, unless any problem arises, but it won't." He was definitely much younger than my first surgeon... and he talked me through the whole procedure while he was doing it... and true to his word, the recovery was as easy as he said it would be.

Sounds like you got one of the ports/doctors who installed it slight differently... so give it a week to 10 days and I think you'll find it will be totally fine. Even with this one, I must admit, I felt it in my neck... sort of a tightness if you smile or turn your head. That was something different that I had never felt before with this new one... but it was gone within about a week and I don't even notice it now.

Now, you say when you drink room temperature water, you feel like there is something in your throat. Have you started your treatment and is there an OX in the title (FOLFOX)?? That is a very very normal reaction if you are taking OXipiliplatin (we all call it Oxy of Oxi for short). FOLFOX is a combination of 5FU + Leucorvin + Oxyliplatin). One of the side affects of Oxi is the sensitive to cold... both to the touch and or to eat/swallow anything resembling "cold" or "chilled". As long as you are on the Oxi, if you get the sensitive to cold side affect, then I'm afraid you will have it for the duration of your treatments. The positive... it goes away after about 4-5 days... giving you a week before you get your next treatment of it. If you are feeling affects with room temp water, then you are going to have to figure things you can drink at a temp that you can handle. Obviously the hot drinks will be fine (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, steamed milk, etc). But your cold drinks and cold foods, you are going to have to make sure they are slightly warmer than warm temp.

It won't all be bad! Your port will be settled down next week or within a couple of days of a week or so. You will also figure out your pattern pretty quickly when the cold sensitivity is the worst for a couple of days and when your good days are and you can drink cold drinks to your heart's desire.

Hope this helps... really, the worst part is just getting used to the timing of everything. It does feel overwhelming at the beginning and then when you get these oddities thrown at you, you wonder are they just oddities or is this permanent. So come and ask... and I think you will find some consolation to find everyone goes through this and has the same feelings when first starting out.

Hang in there, Vicki!

Cheryl

Love2Cats

Port
I know this sounds weird, but since I had my port installed, I get a pain on the opposite side of my neck, when I bend over (the side w/o the port).

At the infusion center, they spray this stuff on my skin before they stick me, and it really doesn't hurt much when they insert the needle. The stuff in the can is very cold, and the nurse says it numbs the area.