Happy day

Ribbons
Ribbons Member Posts: 154 Member
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

Have to share my joy that I got my port out today! Finished chemo on Feb 15, finished 3 rounds of brachytherapy on April 1. My oncology/gyn said I could loose the port and I am so relieved to have it gone! It was a constant reminder of chemo, it itched sometimes and I hated that metal lump in my chest. I know some choose to keep their port for a long time, my cousin kept hers for 3 years, but for me personally, the best thing was to be done with it. Just wanted to share.

Comments

  • BluebirdOne
    BluebirdOne Member Posts: 656 Member
    #2
    Great news.

    It must be such a relief to have the port out. One more step on the road to recovery. 

    Denise 

  • jan9wils
    jan9wils Member Posts: 209 Member
    #3
    So happy for you and this

    So happy for you and this milestone.

  • Armywife
    Armywife Member Posts: 451 Member
    #4
    Yaay!

    How was the removal?  I'm allowed to have mine out if I reach the 2-year NED mark in October.  I remember the insertion process being a little uncomfortable, and read an article the other day in which a man described the removal as very painful.  What was your experience?  And congrats!

     

  • janaes
    janaes Member Posts: 799 Member
    #5
    I got rid of mt port pretty

    I got rid of mt port pretty quickly. I had it for a while and had to get it flushed a couple time. I hated doing that and forgot to do it. When i got rid of it it felt so good that i didnt have to go get it flushed. It did remind me also of cancer. I did feel like i could get on with my life. Now that its been three years and i look back there were a few times i wish i still had it for other prosedures but was not worth the trade of getting the port flushed

    I got rid of it for finacial reasons really but it was a good thing to move forward

  • Ribbons
    Ribbons Member Posts: 154 Member
    #6
    Armywife said:

    Yaay!

    How was the removal?  I'm allowed to have mine out if I reach the 2-year NED mark in October.  I remember the insertion process being a little uncomfortable, and read an article the other day in which a man described the removal as very painful.  What was your experience?  And congrats!

     

    Port

    it wasnt bad, once the numbing stuff started working there was no pain, quite a bit of tugging though. So happy it’s gone

  • barnyardgal
    barnyardgal Member Posts: 272 Member
    #7
    Congrats! I had my port

    Congrats! I had my port recently removed right at the 1 year of finishing treatment. Thank goodness, as two weeks later a kid pulled out right in front of me and totaled my almost new van. Every air bag popped, and while I was sore where I had the port out, the doctor said it probably would have broken if I hadn't taken it out.

    I thought it was easier to take it out but it still was sore. But it was just a local instead of the twilight sleep when you have the port put in.

  • zsazsa1
    zsazsa1 Member Posts: 568 Member
    edited June 2019 #8
    barnyardgal said:

    Congrats! I had my port

    Congrats! I had my port recently removed right at the 1 year of finishing treatment. Thank goodness, as two weeks later a kid pulled out right in front of me and totaled my almost new van. Every air bag popped, and while I was sore where I had the port out, the doctor said it probably would have broken if I hadn't taken it out.

    I thought it was easier to take it out but it still was sore. But it was just a local instead of the twilight sleep when you have the port put in.

    Just for future reference,

    Just for future reference, for anyone reading this thread who may be considering a port, I had mine put in under local, and it was nothing.  No pain whatsoever, very quick.  The problem was that I developed a blood clot nearby very soon after insertion, and had to be put on blood thinners for a few months.  But the insertion can most definitely be done under just local.  And if you ask for them to buffer the lidocaine with bicarbonate, even the lidocaine doesn't hurt/burn at all.

  • zsazsa1
    zsazsa1 Member Posts: 568 Member
    #9
    Armywife, it's not IF, it's

    Armywife, it's not IF, it's WHEN it doesn't come back!  My husband introduced me to this concept before I was even done with chemo.  "You HAD cancer, not have cancer."  At first it was a shocking statement to me, then I figured, why not?  I'm going to live this time as if it's never coming back, and if it does, it won't have helped me to feel like I HAVE cancer every day for the rest of my life.

    Ribbons, congratulations!  Hopefully this awful part of your life (and mine, too) is OVER, and you can move ahead joyfully into the next, healthy stage of your life.

    BTW, I'm keeping my port for now because I am on Herceptin until November, I think, so it's automatically getting flushed every 3 weeks anyway.  I'll deal with it after that.  But mine doesn't bother me at all.

  • Ribbons
    Ribbons Member Posts: 154 Member
    #10
    zsazsa1 said:

    Armywife, it's not IF, it's

    Armywife, it's not IF, it's WHEN it doesn't come back!  My husband introduced me to this concept before I was even done with chemo.  "You HAD cancer, not have cancer."  At first it was a shocking statement to me, then I figured, why not?  I'm going to live this time as if it's never coming back, and if it does, it won't have helped me to feel like I HAVE cancer every day for the rest of my life.

    Ribbons, congratulations!  Hopefully this awful part of your life (and mine, too) is OVER, and you can move ahead joyfully into the next, healthy stage of your life.

    BTW, I'm keeping my port for now because I am on Herceptin until November, I think, so it's automatically getting flushed every 3 weeks anyway.  I'll deal with it after that.  But mine doesn't bother me at all.

    yes

    I think in terms of I HAD it. It was taken out, I had treatment, and now I'm done with it.

  • MAbound
    MAbound Member Posts: 1,168 Member
    #11
    Jairoldi said:

    I had mine out on April 18th

    My doc wanted me to wait until 2 years from diagnosis.  2 years was up on May 1st.  Taking it out didn't bother me though I did have to ask for extra lidocaine 2x during the procedure.  The lidocaine did burn and I wish I had known to ask for bicarbonate!  But all in all not too bad.  The worst part for me is the covering adhesive afterward.  My skin is very sensitvie to it and having to change it every day just added to my misery as it also pulled on my already raw skin.  If I have one placed again I'll insist on different bandaging.


    Tegaderm

    My skin couldn't handle the Tegaderm (OP-Site) adhesive either. Made my skin blister and come off under it, so they used paper tape and a guaze bandage to cover it when I had my port out. I'm ok with tape on my arms, but my skin must be more fragile on the shoulders.

  • EZLiving66
    EZLiving66 Member Posts: 1,483 Member
    #12
    Jairoldi said:

    I had mine out on April 18th

    My doc wanted me to wait until 2 years from diagnosis.  2 years was up on May 1st.  Taking it out didn't bother me though I did have to ask for extra lidocaine 2x during the procedure.  The lidocaine did burn and I wish I had known to ask for bicarbonate!  But all in all not too bad.  The worst part for me is the covering adhesive afterward.  My skin is very sensitvie to it and having to change it every day just added to my misery as it also pulled on my already raw skin.  If I have one placed again I'll insist on different bandaging.


    I ended up going to Wound

    I ended up going to Wound Care for six weeks because the port site would not heal and the skin around it became infected from the tape. I have a huge, deep scar now but at least it finally healed. I could only use my port for chemo the day after it was installed. It became infected and I went through hell - it took five months from installation to getting the wound healed. Hated that thing!!

    Love,

    Eldri

  • Jairoldi
    Jairoldi Member Posts: 221 Member
    #13
    I had mine out on April 18th

    My doc wanted me to wait until 2 years from diagnosis.  2 years was up on May 1st.  Taking it out didn't bother me though I did have to ask for extra lidocaine 2x during the procedure.  The lidocaine did burn and I wish I had known to ask for bicarbonate!  But all in all not too bad.  The worst part for me is the covering adhesive afterward.  My skin is very sensitvie to it and having to change it every day just added to my misery as it also pulled on my already raw skin.  If I have one placed again I'll insist on different bandaging.


  • Jairoldi
    Jairoldi Member Posts: 221 Member
    #14
    MAbound said:

    Tegaderm

    My skin couldn't handle the Tegaderm (OP-Site) adhesive either. Made my skin blister and come off under it, so they used paper tape and a guaze bandage to cover it when I had my port out. I'm ok with tape on my arms, but my skin must be more fragile on the shoulders.

    Paper tape

    Yes, that's what I finally ended up using. At first I tried varying how much tegaderm and gauze I was using. I tried to make it land in a different spot each day. I hated the tegaderm! I had forgotten how much it bothered me when my port was initially placed. Between fear, surgery, port, and chemo I was a bit of a wreck at that time.

  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #15
    Port and steri strips/adhesive allergy

    it seems I’m not the best not one who may have developed allergies to adhesive tape.  When I got my portbout ( had it for 6 years) I developed blisters where tgevsteri strips were.   To date I have to ask for paper tape or else I get a burn or blisters.

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