YAY! Port removal.

MAbound

yetti said:

Port

I have had my port since July 2018, my last chemo was March 2019 ! I have it flushed every 3 months   I keep it Bc of labs I'm not eastY to draw blood from my arm , several pokes. ive had issues yesrs before Dx , port has never really bothered me !  And Im not keeping it Bc I'm waiting for a recurrence Bc I will not do chemo ever again regardless!

Infection Risk

I hope that you are being extra careful about who you allow to access your port. With the line going directly to your heart, sterile technique by someone who knows what they are doing and who appreciates what the risks are each time it's used is critical to avoiding a potentially life threatening complication. It's a big deal and I'd be concerned about letting anyone who's not an MD or chemo nurse touch it. 

Armywife

EZLiving66 said:

I had my port removed after

I had my port removed after it became infected. I was only able to use it one time - the day after it was inserted. Finally, after trying for months to clear up the infection, they removed it with a numbing agent. Problem was, the skin around it was so degraded because of the infection, they couldn't get it closed. A half-hour procedure turned into a long afternoon as they tried to get it to stop bleeding. Long story short, six weeks after going to a wound care specialist, they got the infection cleared up but I have an awful scar. I've thought of having some plastic surgery to fix it because it still causes me pain but I'm afraid. File this under "if anything could go wrong, it will." LOL

Love,

Eldri

Ouch!

Oh, Eldri - you surely have had some Murphy's Law!  My port went in smooth as glass, never a problem the whole time I had it, and then when they removed it I had a gusher under the skin and had a giant goose egg and the most huge purpleblack bruise I've ever seen from my neck to my waist - still have a lump and a scar 10 months later.  I was wishing I'd kept that port!

EZLiving66

Armywife said:

Ouch!

Oh, Eldri - you surely have had some Murphy's Law!  My port went in smooth as glass, never a problem the whole time I had it, and then when they removed it I had a gusher under the skin and had a giant goose egg and the most huge purpleblack bruise I've ever seen from my neck to my waist - still have a lump and a scar 10 months later.  I was wishing I'd kept that port!

Wow!! My gusher was outside.

Wow!! My gusher was outside. The doctor was using my chest as a tray for his supplies and the blood ran under my arms. When they tried to get me to sit up, I was so woozy and it was running into my pants. LOL, I was a bloody mess. But at least I could take a shower! I can't imagine that much blood staying inside my body but outside my veins. 

Love,

Eldri

Primavera

Going to start really checking

Going to start really checking all your port experiences.

I got my timeline for chemo and start on Sept 22 and my new oncologist (breast cancer) said she doesn't think I need one if I have good veins, but I talked to other people who were doing my scans that day and putting IVs in and they all said I should get one.

Oncologist did say that I could get one later on.

Quilter_1

Primavera said:

Going to start really checking

Going to start really checking all your port experiences.

I got my timeline for chemo and start on Sept 22 and my new oncologist (breast cancer) said she doesn't think I need one if I have good veins, but I talked to other people who were doing my scans that day and putting IVs in and they all said I should get one.

Oncologist did say that I could get one later on.

I LOVED having my port during

I LOVED having my port during treatment, never had a problem with it. I used a prescription numbing cream about one hour before it was accessed and had no pain when the needle was inserted.  It was removed about 16 months after my last treatment, my doctor likes to leave them in for a while.  Removal was very easy.  I had numbing injectlions and was awake while it was removed.  Took about one hour from beginning to leaving.  

Primavera

Quilter_1 said:

I LOVED having my port during

I LOVED having my port during treatment, never had a problem with it. I used a prescription numbing cream about one hour before it was accessed and had no pain when the needle was inserted.  It was removed about 16 months after my last treatment, my doctor likes to leave them in for a while.  Removal was very easy.  I had numbing injectlions and was awake while it was removed.  Took about one hour from beginning to leaving.  

I'll probably do without

I'll probably do without for one or two infusions; I'm going to be new at this. But reading everywhere and here, and talking to hospital staff, I'm convinced I need one. 

I have 4 AC treatments every two weeks, and then one T weekly for 12 weeks and then Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year. I'm afraid for my veins.

But I'll probably be like Maxster and Molly...will want it out as soon as it's done its job. I haven't read anywhere...can it be put back if needed? Probably not the same place.

Armywife

Primavera said:

I'll probably do without

I'll probably do without for one or two infusions; I'm going to be new at this. But reading everywhere and here, and talking to hospital staff, I'm convinced I need one. 

I have 4 AC treatments every two weeks, and then one T weekly for 12 weeks and then Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year. I'm afraid for my veins.

But I'll probably be like Maxster and Molly...will want it out as soon as it's done its job. I haven't read anywhere...can it be put back if needed? Probably not the same place.

Yes

My doctor told me I can get another one if needed.  I'm really regretting getting mine out when I did.

Molly110

Primavera said:

I'll probably do without

I'll probably do without for one or two infusions; I'm going to be new at this. But reading everywhere and here, and talking to hospital staff, I'm convinced I need one. 

I have 4 AC treatments every two weeks, and then one T weekly for 12 weeks and then Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year. I'm afraid for my veins.

But I'll probably be like Maxster and Molly...will want it out as soon as it's done its job. I haven't read anywhere...can it be put back if needed? Probably not the same place.

Good luck tomorrow, Primavera

Good luck tomorrow, Primavera. I hope everything goes smoothly.  

I still have the port because I'm axious about the procedure getting it removed. I think I will wait until after my next check up since it makes blood draws so easy. 

 

Take care,

Molly

els19

Port

I kept my port in for 3 years and I don't recommend that to anyone. When I finally had it removed they asked me why I left it in so long as it's easily replaced. I was only numbed when it was removed and felt nothing. It went fast and I had no soreness afterwards. 
Now I'm in a recurrence and had my first chemo without a port and realized how much nicer it was having a port. I do IVs easily. But a port gives you so much more freedom of movement. And I want to keep my good veins and easy IVs. I'm getting a new port put in next week. Hopefully it will be easy!

Goodluck Primavera!

yetti

Port for chemo

Dear Primivera ,  I would suggest the port before I had any CHEMO. good veins or not it still wears on the the veins. And it starts to require more attempts to get as vein!  I also have them use my port for all labs and ct and pet scan IVs.  even the iv for the colonoscopy I had ! I would not have survived chemo without port, I have mine still since July 22 of 2018 !  thats a lot of IVs on the veins  my chemo was every three weeks ,  If it were me I would do NO CHEMO until I had a port !  

 

Primavera

Molly110 said:

Good luck tomorrow, Primavera

Good luck tomorrow, Primavera. I hope everything goes smoothly.  

I still have the port because I'm axious about the procedure getting it removed. I think I will wait until after my next check up since it makes blood draws so easy. 

 

Take care,

Molly

Thank you!

It went well. It was a short one because it was the Adriamycin with cyclophosphamide. I think it was just two hours. And they put that Neulasta device on my arm.

It's the day after now. I'm feeling OK today, so I've been working, because who knows how I'll feel tomorrow. Keeping a diary of everything. I know this is only the first one and I still have 3 more to go of these before I start Taxol.

I'm most worried about my heart. I start with a healthy heart.

Primavera

els19 said:

Port

I kept my port in for 3 years and I don't recommend that to anyone. When I finally had it removed they asked me why I left it in so long as it's easily replaced. I was only numbed when it was removed and felt nothing. It went fast and I had no soreness afterwards. 
Now I'm in a recurrence and had my first chemo without a port and realized how much nicer it was having a port. I do IVs easily. But a port gives you so much more freedom of movement. And I want to keep my good veins and easy IVs. I'm getting a new port put in next week. Hopefully it will be easy!

Goodluck Primavera!

Thank you els19

I had my treatment yesterday. It went well.

They tried to give me trouble about my little freezer. "What is that?" they said at chemo reception fancy office. I told them it was a portable freezer with icing mitts and booties and I need it with me.

I sat on the cushiony chair and looked for an empty outlet they had promised next to my chair and they were all busy. Next time I'll disconnect the TV. I don't need that. My iPad has everything.

But anyway, I still couldn't use my mitts and booties in the freezer. They were too far away and I can tell you these nurses are not going to help me change anything.

Not having a port complicated things. She said she had to start on a vein near my wrist and then go up from there for next treatments. That meant no mitt on my mouse hand! I did put one on the left hand and the booties, but although I had so many still frozen in the non-connected cooler, I couldn't reach them because I was tied to that IV where they were going to inject by hand the three vials of Adriamycin.

I'll be more prepared next time. I could see the importance of the port. It would free me up. When nutritionist and counselor came to pay me a visit before my treatment they were all asking what was that I was wearing...I wasn't amused. A nurse who gave me a call the day before said (when asked about an outlet near my chair) "oh honey, I don't think what you're doing is going to help to prevent neuropathy; the medicine gets inside of you all the way your body."

I just said thank you and waited till next day.

I'm more worried about Taxol and that's why I'm going to get a port. I asked my nurse for the day and she was terrfied I would have 3 more treatments of these, plus 12 weekly treatments of Taxol and 15 tri-weekly of Herceptin. She said this is going to last a long time and I should get one. No worries about flushing it because I'll be there every week and they'll maintain it!

That's my story. It's an experience. Thanks for the good wishes.

Primavera

yetti said:

Port for chemo

Dear Primivera ,  I would suggest the port before I had any CHEMO. good veins or not it still wears on the the veins. And it starts to require more attempts to get as vein!  I also have them use my port for all labs and ct and pet scan IVs.  even the iv for the colonoscopy I had ! I would not have survived chemo without port, I have mine still since July 22 of 2018 !  thats a lot of IVs on the veins  my chemo was every three weeks ,  If it were me I would do NO CHEMO until I had a port !  

 

I didn't have time to get one

There's more to my story in the previous answers to the other girls.

My nurse-for-the-day told me when I go to get an MRI on Sunday to check for a liver thing that grew, please remind them that they shouldn't use the veins on my right arm, where my arm bends. I asked why. She said because I have another chemo on October 6 and she'll use the same arm and if they poke where I bend my arm, the medicine that she pushes through my wrist might ooze through the hole they made on my arm bend?

That was not good to hear. She said she recommends the port and leave my veins for God forbid in case of an emergency, an accident, something, they could access my veins easily because they won't be damaged.

So I'm getting one. But I have to get the referral on my next visit.

Thank you for the advice.

LisaPizza

Primavera said:

I didn't have time to get one

There's more to my story in the previous answers to the other girls.

My nurse-for-the-day told me when I go to get an MRI on Sunday to check for a liver thing that grew, please remind them that they shouldn't use the veins on my right arm, where my arm bends. I asked why. She said because I have another chemo on October 6 and she'll use the same arm and if they poke where I bend my arm, the medicine that she pushes through my wrist might ooze through the hole they made on my arm bend?

That was not good to hear. She said she recommends the port and leave my veins for God forbid in case of an emergency, an accident, something, they could access my veins easily because they won't be damaged.

So I'm getting one. But I have to get the referral on my next visit.

Thank you for the advice.

For what it's worth,  for 6

For what it's worth,  for 6 cycles i had two preceding blood draws at the elbow followed at various intervals by chemo in peripheral veins in the hnd or forearm without any concern about the chemo leaking out of the blood draw punctures. I'm sure some of them must have been in the same arm.  I was never warned of that, and I've not heard of it. Doesn't mean it can't happen, and maybe it's particular to your drugs.

Armywife

Primavera said:

Thank you els19

I had my treatment yesterday. It went well.

They tried to give me trouble about my little freezer. "What is that?" they said at chemo reception fancy office. I told them it was a portable freezer with icing mitts and booties and I need it with me.

I sat on the cushiony chair and looked for an empty outlet they had promised next to my chair and they were all busy. Next time I'll disconnect the TV. I don't need that. My iPad has everything.

But anyway, I still couldn't use my mitts and booties in the freezer. They were too far away and I can tell you these nurses are not going to help me change anything.

Not having a port complicated things. She said she had to start on a vein near my wrist and then go up from there for next treatments. That meant no mitt on my mouse hand! I did put one on the left hand and the booties, but although I had so many still frozen in the non-connected cooler, I couldn't reach them because I was tied to that IV where they were going to inject by hand the three vials of Adriamycin.

I'll be more prepared next time. I could see the importance of the port. It would free me up. When nutritionist and counselor came to pay me a visit before my treatment they were all asking what was that I was wearing...I wasn't amused. A nurse who gave me a call the day before said (when asked about an outlet near my chair) "oh honey, I don't think what you're doing is going to help to prevent neuropathy; the medicine gets inside of you all the way your body."

I just said thank you and waited till next day.

I'm more worried about Taxol and that's why I'm going to get a port. I asked my nurse for the day and she was terrfied I would have 3 more treatments of these, plus 12 weekly treatments of Taxol and 15 tri-weekly of Herceptin. She said this is going to last a long time and I should get one. No worries about flushing it because I'll be there every week and they'll maintain it!

That's my story. It's an experience. Thanks for the good wishes.

Primavera

The first one is always the hardest.  Everything is new and scary.  Just want to encourage you to make some phone calls and see if you can get them to accelerate your schedule for getting a port.  That's a lot of infusions and I can't imagine why they would drag their feet on that.  Also, don't be discouraged - you may get a different chair next time that is closer to your freezer.  Don't worry about help - I changed my mitts and booties by myself every time.  It was a little humorous trying to strap one mitt with another mitt already done but it doesn't have to be perfect.  Also, if you feel some bone pain when the neulasta shot releases tomorrow, know that taking a Claritin may help.  I actually was told to take one the day before and the day of the neulasta shot (I didn't have the patch) and I didn't have bone pain. If you do get some pain, just know that it's temporary as the shot wears off.  Blessings to you.

Molly110

Primavera said:

Thank you els19

I had my treatment yesterday. It went well.

They tried to give me trouble about my little freezer. "What is that?" they said at chemo reception fancy office. I told them it was a portable freezer with icing mitts and booties and I need it with me.

I sat on the cushiony chair and looked for an empty outlet they had promised next to my chair and they were all busy. Next time I'll disconnect the TV. I don't need that. My iPad has everything.

But anyway, I still couldn't use my mitts and booties in the freezer. They were too far away and I can tell you these nurses are not going to help me change anything.

Not having a port complicated things. She said she had to start on a vein near my wrist and then go up from there for next treatments. That meant no mitt on my mouse hand! I did put one on the left hand and the booties, but although I had so many still frozen in the non-connected cooler, I couldn't reach them because I was tied to that IV where they were going to inject by hand the three vials of Adriamycin.

I'll be more prepared next time. I could see the importance of the port. It would free me up. When nutritionist and counselor came to pay me a visit before my treatment they were all asking what was that I was wearing...I wasn't amused. A nurse who gave me a call the day before said (when asked about an outlet near my chair) "oh honey, I don't think what you're doing is going to help to prevent neuropathy; the medicine gets inside of you all the way your body."

I just said thank you and waited till next day.

I'm more worried about Taxol and that's why I'm going to get a port. I asked my nurse for the day and she was terrfied I would have 3 more treatments of these, plus 12 weekly treatments of Taxol and 15 tri-weekly of Herceptin. She said this is going to last a long time and I should get one. No worries about flushing it because I'll be there every week and they'll maintain it!

That's my story. It's an experience. Thanks for the good wishes.

I'm glad the first one is

I'm glad the first one is done, Primavera. I don't understand why the nurses were unwilling to help you. 

If you can't wear mitts, don't forget that you can hold a baggie of ice in your hand and keep it cold that way. What frustrates me about the centers that ice because they think there isn't enough evidence to support it, is that many top flight cancer centers -- like MSK -- *do* ice, so it isn't as if the patients who decide to do it are making crazy decisions. We're just choosing to go with another perfectly respectable and well-accepted point of view held by many prominent oncologists and world famous cancer centers. My center didn't do it, but they bent over backwards to help me do it. My bet is that 5 years from now all the best centers will be doing it, but in the mean time, too many women are on their own. 

Once you get the port, the infusions will be so much easier for you. I wish I'd had one at the start, which I realized recently was a year ago this week.

Take care,

Molly

Primavera

Armywife said:

Primavera

The first one is always the hardest.  Everything is new and scary.  Just want to encourage you to make some phone calls and see if you can get them to accelerate your schedule for getting a port.  That's a lot of infusions and I can't imagine why they would drag their feet on that.  Also, don't be discouraged - you may get a different chair next time that is closer to your freezer.  Don't worry about help - I changed my mitts and booties by myself every time.  It was a little humorous trying to strap one mitt with another mitt already done but it doesn't have to be perfect.  Also, if you feel some bone pain when the neulasta shot releases tomorrow, know that taking a Claritin may help.  I actually was told to take one the day before and the day of the neulasta shot (I didn't have the patch) and I didn't have bone pain. If you do get some pain, just know that it's temporary as the shot wears off.  Blessings to you.

Claritin

It says in my instructions to take a Claritin a day for five days starting on the day of release. So maybe I won't be having the bone pain. Thanks for the blessings.

Primavera

LisaPizza said:

For what it's worth,  for 6

For what it's worth,  for 6 cycles i had two preceding blood draws at the elbow followed at various intervals by chemo in peripheral veins in the hnd or forearm without any concern about the chemo leaking out of the blood draw punctures. I'm sure some of them must have been in the same arm.  I was never warned of that, and I've not heard of it. Doesn't mean it can't happen, and maybe it's particular to your drugs.

It's probably because of the drug

They say doxorubicin is probably the strongest one out there. And maybe it's because she has to do it by hand, not a drip. Don't know. Maybe it's not true. But I'll make sure to remind the MRI people, although she said they should know. And she said my blood work before every treatment will be a poke in the finger. Let's see.

els19

Port

Primavera, congratulations on completing the first one! My experience with the icing was similar. My nurse did put the IV up higher so that I could use my mitts. So, you might want to insist on that because it can be done. It was still more difficult without a port because the IV limits movement. My nurse tried to help but was too busy. Instead of a portable freezer, I got one of those extreme cold coolers that's supposed to keep things frozen for days. I ended up moving it right next to by bed. I could then sit up and reach down and get the ice packs and mitts. It was doable but still difficult. You do not have to wait until your next visit to request a port. You should call your doctor today and request the order be put in for it. The radiology department at my cancer hospital was scheduled out a month. My doctor managed to get an over ride and I was added in as a fill in so that I can have my port before my next chemo next week. I had a port for all my chemos last time and it really is much better. Good luck!

Fridays Child

Primavera said:

Thank you!

It went well. It was a short one because it was the Adriamycin with cyclophosphamide. I think it was just two hours. And they put that Neulasta device on my arm.

It's the day after now. I'm feeling OK today, so I've been working, because who knows how I'll feel tomorrow. Keeping a diary of everything. I know this is only the first one and I still have 3 more to go of these before I start Taxol.

I'm most worried about my heart. I start with a healthy heart.

Glad to hear it went well

Glad to hear it went well.  Good luck with the Neulasta!  That blinking light was so weird.  Did they mention to you taking Claritin to combat the bone pain from the Neulasta?  Claritin didn't really help me but I asked if I could use Benadryl and it did help.