Portacath placement was very easy

Mine was called a mediport, but it was so much easier than having a new IV for each infusion. Chemo drugs are so caustic that having them go into a larger vein makes so much sense. I did find it a bit freaky having three people working on me in different places at the same time when I was awake for the procedure. Made me kind of jumpy.

For some reason I am scared of the idea of the port, though they haven't offered it yet either. Right now I'm only getting chemo every three weeks so I'm willing to endure the pokings. 

I'm normally not interested in actually looking at the medical procedures being performed on me, But I was disappointed when I was asked to keep my head facing left while the doctor installed the port on my right side. There were several large monitors that he used to see what was going on inside me and position the port. I would have liked to watch the process too.

I was awake during the whole procedure, but felt no pain or anxiety (the drugs worked!). The port area was a bit sore for a couple of days and it took me some time to get used to it if I laid on that side at night, But after a while I got used to it and appreciated having it during my chemo sessions.

I was later told by the nurse in recovery that I had the "speedy" doctor who does fast, accurate work. The process did go much faster than I expected.

zsazsa1 said:

Update on port placement.  It

Update on port placement.  It was tender for about a week - couldn't sleep on the port side for a few nights - but after a week, a lot of the time I forget it's in there.  First time they will use it will be this Friday when I have my first round of chemo.

It's a prescription numbing cream that you gob over your port about an hour before chemo.  Cover with plastic wrap or a tegaderm.  The nurse will wipe it off. Then you won't feel the needle go in.  Emla is worth its weight in gold.

My doctor put me under for port installation and they used it the next day for my chemo. But that was the only time it could be used. It got horribly infected and they couldn't clear it up. Finally after two months of trying, they took it out. By that time, the skin around it was also degraded so they couldn't stitch the skin back together. After a month of them trying to clear up the hole, they sent me to the wound care clinic. Seven weeks later, they chemically cauterized it. I have a lot of scar tissue there and am thinking of going to a plastic surgeon to cut out the scar. The scar tissue also hurts if I sleep a certain way so I'm thinking my insurance would pay to have it removed. I usually just wear a tank top backward under some of my lower cut blouses to cover it. If it didn't hurt, I wouldn't care.

But....I'm like one in a thousand who ever had trouble with their port. Most women love them! Having chemo the second and third time in the same vein was no picnic and I wish the port would have worked.

Love,

Eldri

I‘m convinced that acupuncture kept my neuropathy to a minimum, just a little numbness in my little toes. My arthritic hands would definitely not been able to take the ice.