Yesterday, met with genetiv counselors and tried to get blood

camul
camul Member Posts: 2,537
in Breast Cancer #1
This is the 3rd time they have been unable in the last 5 months, have had TPA 2x. There was not time to do TPA yesterday, so I will go to the local clinic Monday am for a finger prick for INR, then am scheduled for a week from Monday to have the TPA. and the blood drawn for the Genetic study. However, the 2 nurses working on my portcalled mu onco and they think either scar tissue or the pot has moved, so he said he will talk to me about scheduling an appointment to have the port removed and a new one inserted.... I am no longer on chemo and it is just used now for blood draws, but the veins are so bad, that they cant always get it that way either.
Not loking forward to another procedure. Still have not received the results of the tumor markers, but I am not planning on stopping the Arromison now, so I will wait til he calls me about replacing the port.
Always something.

Comments

  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #2
    Always something

    Hi Carol,

    Sorry about port not working properly. I hope they will check your port out before taking it out and maybe TPA will help to avoid surgery. Are you flashing your port every 4 to 6 weeks? I had to Google TPA, amazinly many things came out of this search, including Tampa International Airport, and Teacher perforance assessment. I veins are small, damaged by Chemo and not easy too, I understand your concerns 

    I hope your murkers will be low enough to continue Aromasin.

    Some good news for us. Yesterday  The drug, which Merck will sell under the name Keytruda, was approved for patients with advanced melanoma who have exhausted other therapies. Its is a anti-PD-1 drug or PD1 inhibitor drug, the first immunotherapy medication. I amsure for will hear about similar technology for breast cancer soon

    Hugs

  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #3
    Port

    Dear Camul:

    Sorry you are having problems with your blood draws.    I had a port in for over six years.   My port actually twisted in that time period but they were still able to get blood draws.   Sometimes I would have to sit straight up, bend a certain way, move a certain way or lay down or turn a certain way.   Also, it depended upon who was doing the blood draw.  Some nurses weren't as experienced on the port as others.   I even had one nurse tell me to lay down so she could do the draw because she was nervous as she didn't like accessing the port and since my was twisted and deep, she was nervous - so it made me nervous.

    Have they been able to flush your port?   I know what you mean that you don't wish to have another procedure.   I hope they can fix your port without the necessity of replacing it.

    My best to you,

    Kathy

  • New Flower
    New Flower Member Posts: 4,294
    #4
    Kaleena said:

    Port

    Dear Camul:

    Sorry you are having problems with your blood draws.    I had a port in for over six years.   My port actually twisted in that time period but they were still able to get blood draws.   Sometimes I would have to sit straight up, bend a certain way, move a certain way or lay down or turn a certain way.   Also, it depended upon who was doing the blood draw.  Some nurses weren't as experienced on the port as others.   I even had one nurse tell me to lay down so she could do the draw because she was nervous as she didn't like accessing the port and since my was twisted and deep, she was nervous - so it made me nervous.

    Have they been able to flush your port?   I know what you mean that you don't wish to have another procedure.   I hope they can fix your port without the necessity of replacing it.

    My best to you,

    Kathy

    I think they should take X-ray

    Carol

    please talk to the doctor who put port in. Ask if X-ray of the port area will provide a clue why it is having problems

  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #5
    New Flower said:

    I think they should take X-ray

    Carol

    please talk to the doctor who put port in. Ask if X-ray of the port area will provide a clue why it is having problems

    yrs I am getting it flushed btwn visits.

    Every 4-6 weeks. I too think it makes a difference who does the draw, One of the nurses about 2 yrs ago, tried a shortcut and smamed in a whole big syringe of saline, it unclogged it, but I passed out and they figured I had a tia. I will have a different nurse when I go back a week from Monday and will get a f inger prick for the INR. I just dread any more procedures period. I am sure they will xray before doing anything invasive. I am still trying to decide on the radiation to the cspine and left leg! Not making decisions very quickly these days.

    Yes I laid down sat up, arm over my heaf, coughing. My old nurse would sometimes put in a little stronger heparin and let it sit for aboutn20 minutes and that usually cleared it, but at this cancer center that is not their procedure... But it sure worked.
  • SIROD
    SIROD Member Posts: 2,194 Member
    #6
    scar tissue

    You have been through so much Carol.  A port is the best to have when we have no veins.  I don't have anymore veins either, a lot of scar tissue though.

    Good luck and hope your tumor markers are ok.

    Doris

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