Chest Port and Exercise Concerns

grumpyj420 said:

john

i'm sorry, yeah that was a little rude. he did provide some valuable information, i was just taken aback by his wording. he did provide some good information, it just sounded like he was fed up with these old threads and i was intruding someplace i didn't belong. again, thanks for your help john, i apologize for my rudeness. it won't happen again.

Havin’ a fit….

We all have some pretty bad moods, and a lot of us end up venting here. Most of us know what it’s all about, so don’t let it worry you.

Being diagnosed with a terminal disease brings out a lot of feelings; some good, some not so good. At home or with people that have never had to personally go through what we’re having to go through, we’re misunderstood…. Here? Not so much of a problem.

As far as posting to threads? I try to look at the date of the posts before posting, but there are times that the topic is so interesting that I forget to just avoid the thing. Most all forum software has a convenient method for the administrator to “lock down” a thread; you can read it, but you can’t post to it. There is a setting in almost all forum/BBS software to automatically “archive” threads of a specific date, and “lock down” the archived threads. I’ve brought the topic up many times  before, but the tech team refuses to make any changes.

There’s nothing more frustrating on any forum, than asking someone a question and not getting answer. It’s no different here. But here, where we suffer a terminal disease, we may not get an answer because the individual has died. It brings a bit of sadness to see it happening, but it does…. Over and over and over. If you stick around long enough, you begin to “know people”; you begin to know what it’s like to actually feel what they’re feeling… It becomes personal and you feel like the person is part of your own life.

Watching a “friend” lose their battle brings pain, regardless if it’s someone we know in flesh and blood, or here in this tiny bit of cyberspace. We cry inside and sometimes outside, and sometimes we can’t find words to express just how hard it’s hit us. People that never had to face mortality, who have never been diagnosed with a terminal disease, lack the understanding. Many individuals can’t understand how we can suffer the loss of someone we’ve never met; someone we don’t even know the real name of.. But we suffer regardless, and as much as if it were a family member.

That’s what this forum is all about. We’re all “real people”. And we’re a lot closer to one another than some of us realize.

Welcome to the board. I truly wish you never had to find it, but welcome!!

Be well,

John


 

Hi everyone - newbie here and I have been reading the thread on everyone's port experience.  I just had a power port put in four days ago.  I was not expecting the pain, not just at the incision site but my neck and down my arm feels like a horrible pulled muscle.  The surgeon couldn't use the vein in my neck and had to use one under my collar bone.  The incision hits right where my bra starts and runs right to my bra strap.  The first day I wore a bra when I would move the material would rub against the incision.  Being a teacher I move quite a bit, thus it didn't take long to determine I had to do something.  My solution was gauze - an inch of gauze pads placed in my bra just below the incision and another under the shoulder strap kept the material off the incision.  I dont care that people notice the bump of the gauze as it keeps me from extra pain.  I am just ready to have it healed so I can hold my granddaughter again and not worry if I stretch or bump the port.  Wednesday will be the first access for the port with my infusion.  Little uneasy of the unknown.  Suggestions on what to wear would be helpful as I will be going directly from school so I'll need to keep the incision covered as it isn't healed.  

Thanks for listening to my new experience and for sharing yours.  It helps to read that the pain and discomfort is normal.  I've been sleeping in the recliner as our bed is high and my spouse doesn't want me to try and get into bed since it isn't one we can just sit down on but literally have to crawl up into.  

myAZmountain said:

Port attire

Hello nana--I have had 2 ports in 3 months and both have gotten infected so hope yours turns out better! I usually wore a deep v neck loose shirt so they could access it in front of the rest of the chemo gang. I also wore a stretchy sports bra that was easy to pull to one side. I always covere port with a gauze pad as well.  Good luck with your first chemo!!

I wore, will wear since starting again, either button down or loose workout top. 

Good luck with your first infusion.  I wear a  shirt that buttons up the front on infusion days.

Grace/lizard44

I have had a port implanted under skin at the upper right chest for more than year. Not sure when the oncologist will order to have it removed. I played tennis before the surgery/chemo treatment; I also went to the gym 4,5 days/week. I'm likely done with the chemo and the oncologist has switched the treatment to maintenance phase (take medications by mouth). I really wanted to resume my activities. Do you think if I can play tennis or pickleball and go to the gym (not weigh lifting) with the port on my right chest.

Thanks for your advise.

Regards,

Le