new port pain - put in yesterday

ScubaGirl
ScubaGirl Member Posts: 32
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi everyone. I had my chemo port put in yesterday morning and am considerable pain this morning. My port is on the right side close to the center of my chest. I have pain from my port to my right shoulder and up the right side of my neck. No pain on the left side at all. I was told there wouldn't be pain today. Should I be worried? Is this pain normal?

Thank you.

Pls forgive typos, typed on iPad.

Comments

  • smalldoggroomer
    smalldoggroomer Member Posts: 1,184
    #2
    hello
    I just got my port put in on Fri. I had a little pain at the incision site. And when I layed down ( On my side ) it was uncomfortable had to sleep on my back the first night. now it is a little tender. I wouldn't say pain per say. I would call the Doc just to make sure everything is OK. Better safe then sorry . And you don't have to be in pain like that. Let them know about it. Take care and let us know what happens Kay
  • ScubaGirl
    ScubaGirl Member Posts: 32
    #3
    smalldoggroomer said:

    hello
    I just got my port put in on Fri. I had a little pain at the incision site. And when I layed down ( On my side ) it was uncomfortable had to sleep on my back the first night. now it is a little tender. I wouldn't say pain per say. I would call the Doc just to make sure everything is OK. Better safe then sorry . And you don't have to be in pain like that. Let them know about it. Take care and let us know what happens Kay

    Thank you
    I was surprised it didn't hurt on the left since it goes into the heart, right? I bet they pulled my neck and shoulder in a weird way when they put the port in. I will call the dr. Thanks for the advice.

    Btw, I have a small dog, a papillion and I shaved her. Bet you don't get requests for that much!
  • grandmasueb
    grandmasueb Member Posts: 49
    #4
    ScubaGirl said:

    Thank you
    I was surprised it didn't hurt on the left since it goes into the heart, right? I bet they pulled my neck and shoulder in a weird way when they put the port in. I will call the dr. Thanks for the advice.

    Btw, I have a small dog, a papillion and I shaved her. Bet you don't get requests for that much!

    My port is on my right side
    My port is on my right side but it is close to my arm pit then the center. I had very little pain the first day then just sore at the incision site a few day after. I was awake for my surgery and they had to go in twice because the wire was to close to my heart. They did not pull on my neck or arm the had to put the wire thru my jugular vein for the couldnt get it in the vein they normally put it in. I would call Dr on this one.
  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    #5
    got my port two weeks ago. . .
    and started chemo the same day. i had a lot of bruising from the port installation, but it wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. mine is on the right side - and there is a "pulling" when i put on deodorant on the left side. the last of my steri-tape came off last sunday and that made me more comfortable. i hope you find it's nothing major, but if you have and questions or concerns do contact your doctor.
  • jo jo
    jo jo Member Posts: 1,175 Member
    #6
    When i got my port in i
    When i got my port in i wasnt in pain but discomfort. My port is located in my upper inside left arm and it was uncomfortable to stretch out my arm for awhile cuz i kept feeling a pull. and my arm was also bruised but not at the implant site...it was all the way down to my elbow.
  • laurissa
    laurissa Member Posts: 773
    #7
    Mine was very painful
    It was bruised and swollen for over a week. 2 incisions . A 3 inch horizontal below left collar bone and a small one above that. It felt uncomfortable in my neck taking a deep breath. The scars are faded now but I hate bumping things on it. No bear hugs now. Be careful picking up pets. I believe they stitch it to a muscle to keep it in place-I could be wrong, but I thought I read that somewhere. Sometimes I feel a pull when lifting or exercising-but that doesn't happen often. I've had mine since Sept. I guess it will be in another year for the Zometa I'll be starting. Feel better soon.
  • cavediver
    cavediver Member Posts: 607
    #8
    port discomfort
    I was swollen and very sore for 2 weeks after power port insertion. It was not really pain.....but sore and ached. It was more than I expected, but now I am so happy to have a port...much better for the chemo infusions than trying to plug into a small vein!
  • cavediver
    cavediver Member Posts: 607
    #9
    port discomfort
    I was swollen and very sore for 2 weeks after power port insertion. It was not really pain.....but sore and ached. It was more than I expected, but now I am so happy to have a port...much better for the chemo infusions than trying to plug into a small vein!
  • Lighthouse_7
    Lighthouse_7 Member Posts: 1,566 Member
    #10
    I had it inserted on my
    I had it inserted on my right side after 2 lumpectomy's on the left, so I had a lot of discomfort because both sides were sore. It was hard to lay down in bed on either side and laying on my back pulled it also. I was like you, surprised at how much discomfort that the port caused me. I guess we're all different. For me, I couldn't wait to get it removed, even though I know they say you should keep it in for a while.
    Best of luck to you.
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #11
    We all have different pain tolerance levels.
    We all have different levels of 'pain' tolerance and what we consider 'pain' and what is a discomfort/inconvience. It's just how our bodies are 'wired' and where we have traveled down the road of life. I had no 'pain' as far as I'm concerned with the port implant - it was 'tender' and had 1st A/C the next day. (Well - other than at the end of a riding lesson I was giving 3 days after it's implant, I reached up to help a student down off the horse too quick and got a stabbing HURT). Dr. gave me Vicodin after surgery, Hubby insisted that I had to take one when we picked it up at noon - at 6 pm he insisted that I take another one but then at midnight when he WOKE ME UP to take one, I refused. I did take one the next day before Chemo as I thouhgt it might be a good idea to take one before - didn't need it.

    Remember - you had surgery - you skin and tissue was cut and something inserted into your body. Think along the lines of how you would feel if you had cut yourself that deeply and had to be stitched - it would be uncomfortable at the least.

    Talk to your DR!
  • Angie2U
    Angie2U Member Posts: 2,991
    #12
    ScubaGirl said:

    Thank you
    I was surprised it didn't hurt on the left since it goes into the heart, right? I bet they pulled my neck and shoulder in a weird way when they put the port in. I will call the dr. Thanks for the advice.

    Btw, I have a small dog, a papillion and I shaved her. Bet you don't get requests for that much!

    So sorry scubagirl about the
    So sorry scubagirl about the pain. I didn't have chemo, so, no port.

    Hoping you are pain free soon.

    Good luck!
  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 Member Posts: 2,462
    #13
    heidijez said:

    got my port two weeks ago. . .
    and started chemo the same day. i had a lot of bruising from the port installation, but it wasn't really painful, just uncomfortable. mine is on the right side - and there is a "pulling" when i put on deodorant on the left side. the last of my steri-tape came off last sunday and that made me more comfortable. i hope you find it's nothing major, but if you have and questions or concerns do contact your doctor.

    Port
    Heidi, I had my port put in 8 days ago. The steri-strips are still on there. Plus you can see blood stains on them. I'm afraid there may be a scab underneath. Were you ster-strips clean, and did they just come off on their own? Jean
  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    #14
    Jean 0609 said:

    Port
    Heidi, I had my port put in 8 days ago. The steri-strips are still on there. Plus you can see blood stains on them. I'm afraid there may be a scab underneath. Were you ster-strips clean, and did they just come off on their own? Jean

    steri-strips
    jean,
    my steri strips looked like there were scabs under them as well. one week after the port installation, i had a port check at the hospital. she showed me how to trim the edges of the strips with a suture removal kit that they gave me. she also warned me not to pull the strips off - to let them work themselves off. the smaller one on my neck looked really bad, but when it finally came off, although it was stained, there was no scab. the larger strips took longer to come off, and they too were rather stained. i think that by being patient and pulling them off no matter how much they annoyed me, the skin underneath had a chance to heal.

    i hope you have the same good results - hang in there!
    heidi
  • Pinkpower
    Pinkpower Member Posts: 437
    #15
    Scubagirl
    My port was inserted on the left, same side I had a lumpectomy, right under my collar bone back in Nov 09, the 1st night it was painful, and I could not lay on my left side at all. As the days went by the pain turned into just discomfort. But to this day I still can not lay on my left side and I still feel discomfort right where the port is at. If by accident I happened to roll over on my left while asleep, it will hurt and I automatically wake up. Hopefully you will be different. Good luck to you.
  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #16
    It was painful for me
    It took about 2 weeks before my body got used to the weird feeling and pain from the port. But that was me. It's a foreign object so you might feel discomfort for awhile. Check with your doctor if it lasts.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    sea
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #17
    Lighthouse_7 said:

    I had it inserted on my
    I had it inserted on my right side after 2 lumpectomy's on the left, so I had a lot of discomfort because both sides were sore. It was hard to lay down in bed on either side and laying on my back pulled it also. I was like you, surprised at how much discomfort that the port caused me. I guess we're all different. For me, I couldn't wait to get it removed, even though I know they say you should keep it in for a while.
    Best of luck to you.

    I didn't have chemo or a
    I didn't have chemo or a port, but, I hope you feel better real soon.


    Hugs, Leeza
  • ScubaGirl
    ScubaGirl Member Posts: 32
    #18
    sea60 said:

    It was painful for me
    It took about 2 weeks before my body got used to the weird feeling and pain from the port. But that was me. It's a foreign object so you might feel discomfort for awhile. Check with your doctor if it lasts.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    sea

    thanks everyone, I feel better today.
    It's been one week tomorrow that I got my port in and I feel a lot better. My onco said since it is on a rib just to the right of my sternum that there isn't enough fat there to cushion it. She wasn't sure why the surgeon didn't find a nice plump spot to put it since there are many, but regardless it's better. Still tender with the same pulling sensation several of you have mentioned but getting much better. I didn't get steri strips and instead got a fluffy bandage that I was told to take off the next day.

    Today was my first day of chemo and the port is a blessing. I can already tell.

    My best to all!
  • heidijez
    heidijez Member Posts: 441
    #19
    ScubaGirl said:

    thanks everyone, I feel better today.
    It's been one week tomorrow that I got my port in and I feel a lot better. My onco said since it is on a rib just to the right of my sternum that there isn't enough fat there to cushion it. She wasn't sure why the surgeon didn't find a nice plump spot to put it since there are many, but regardless it's better. Still tender with the same pulling sensation several of you have mentioned but getting much better. I didn't get steri strips and instead got a fluffy bandage that I was told to take off the next day.

    Today was my first day of chemo and the port is a blessing. I can already tell.

    My best to all!

    glad you are feeling better
    congrats on getting through your first chemo too!
  • Jean 0609
    Jean 0609 Member Posts: 2,462
    #20
    heidijez said:

    steri-strips
    jean,
    my steri strips looked like there were scabs under them as well. one week after the port installation, i had a port check at the hospital. she showed me how to trim the edges of the strips with a suture removal kit that they gave me. she also warned me not to pull the strips off - to let them work themselves off. the smaller one on my neck looked really bad, but when it finally came off, although it was stained, there was no scab. the larger strips took longer to come off, and they too were rather stained. i think that by being patient and pulling them off no matter how much they annoyed me, the skin underneath had a chance to heal.

    i hope you have the same good results - hang in there!
    heidi

    Steri-strips
    Hi Heidi,

    I had an appointment with my plastic surgeon yesterday. She looked at my strips and said they were ready to come off. So she took them off for me. You were right, no scabs. Thanks for your help, again. Hugs, Jean

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