Port is out

lindary
lindary Member Posts: 711 Member
edited October 2018 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

I know I haven't participated much lately. Work has been taking up a lot of my time. Let's just say with some of the tweaking of the visa "rules" our IT staff has lost a number of consultants so their work has to be spread out to the others. Since the group I am senior for is support, we are all affected. I am hands on so I am also picking up some extra work. 

This is a landmark month for me. Three years since my last chemo. One year since the end of the Rituxan maintenance. I saw my oncologist last week and she said we can change my visits from every 3 months to every 6 months. After a brief discussion I decided it was time to removed the port. That was done yesterday, Friday. It went well. The Surgeon gives a local but I sitll felt the tugging as he removed the stitches and then the port. No problem. We had plans that night to see a play (The Little Shop of Horrors) which shows my bad planning. 

The only issues I had was by evening that area where the port was was aching. Figured with all of the tugging they did to take the stitches and port out I had felt that the muscles were fighting back on the abuse. I took 2 tylenol when I went to bed and sleep great. This morning the aching was gone. There was a little tenderness in the area by noon so 2 more Tylenol. It has felt fine since then. I do have disolvable stitches covered by steri-stripes. The can be removed in 2 weeks. 

I know that everytime I need blood drawn I am going to miss that port but I really felt it was time. 

Comments

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,505 Member
    #2
    Work???

    What's that? :-D  Great news. Well, it must be a relief to have it gone, but even more so not to need it. Time to move on, right?

  • ShadyGuy
    ShadyGuy Member Posts: 922 Member
    #3
    Wonderful news!

    i had my port removed in August. What a relief!  Congratulations! The bruising will go away in a few weeks.

  • lindary
    lindary Member Posts: 711 Member
    #4
    Port gone

    I hate needles but having a nurse put the needle into the port didn't bother me. For me it was a relief to have the port and not have someone digging in my arm to put a needle in. I had to admit to myself that it was time to give it up. It did bruise but "that too shall pass". LOL 

  • ShadyGuy
    ShadyGuy Member Posts: 922 Member
    #5
    Ports

    i think my issue with the port, aside from getting comfortable sleeping, lay mainly in the fact it was a constant reminder of my situation. I had my first post port R a couple of weeks ago. I had had 26 R infusions over the years in my left arm, so I decided to try the right arm. The nurse was not very good at placing the catheter and had to, as you say, dig around a bit. But it all went ok once she finally got it placed. I still prefer that to living every day with a port. Very glad you are doing so well! Keep it up.

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