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chemo port

by catsvette on 9/17/2007 at 7:31 pmin category Treatment
I am wondering about the chemo port, how they put it in, are you asleep or just watching them do it. I have a week until I see the surgeon again and this is keeping me up!. Once they said the word chemo I wasn't listening to anything else. I did go out today and buy hats. Insurance will not pay for a wig!

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The port surgery, for me, was easier than the lumpectomy and the sentinel node biopsy. They sedated me with Fentanyl, then used a local on the site and installed the port about two inches below my collarbone. The worst part of it all was that my skin, already extremely sensitive, went kind of bonkers from the Tegaderm sheet that the surgeon put over the site when he finished the surgery.

Do you know if your port is going into your chest or your arm? There are loads of sites out there on the web which can describe the surgery to you in detail... just Google it. :)
by selawton
on 9/30/2007 at 3:10 pm
My port was in my arm. I was given antibiotics introveniously before the procedure, and then the surgeon numbed the area before he started the procedure. It took about a half hour and I was awake and alert the whole time. The procedure itself is relatively painless and quick, although I had a bad experience, having to wait forever to get into the surgery room, etc. My arm was uncomfortable for a couple weeks, and to be honest I hated it! It is definitely better than the alternative, but for me it was just another reminder that I was a cancer patient. I counted down the days till I could get it removed, which I did the same time they were doing my lumpectomy. A helpful hint for you...the skin where your port is may get sensitive over time from all the pokes, so to minimize the pain of them inserting the needle into your port you can get a prescription for lidoaine cream, which numbs the area. It made the chemo experience a little more tolerable for me. Good luck to you.
by Christa
on 9/26/2007 at 5:49 pm
Hi Kathleen!!
I have to tell you this not to scare you but so you will make sure that it don't happen to you. I went in in February to have my port put in , the nurse started the IV but missed my vein. When it was time for surgery I was not sedated and the anesthetic ran on the inside of my arm, my arm was so swollen. My doctor was really upset but he didn't want to stop because he had already started cutting me so he talked me through it. I have to tell you I have never experienced anthing like that in my life, let me tell you I had 4 children natural, but when someone is cutting on you and you can still feel it, that's bad.

I went in on August 27th to have my port removed and I made sure the nurse was aware of what happened the last time, and thank God it was a different nurse. When I came through it was over. I didn't feel a thing.

May God be with you, I will be praying for you. Love, Sunshine (Jean)
by Sunshine7
on 9/18/2007 at 3:58 pm
The Port is wonderful!! No more poking around on your arms for blood draws or treatment. The procedure is fairly easy. They don't put you under "general" but do keep you completely comfortable. I didn't feel a thing just came "out from under" faster than if I would have had general.

Keep in mind that your neck may be a little sore because they go in there but it ends up a couple inches under your clavicle (sp?) sort of on your bra line. I didn't expect the sore neck and Tylenol is all I used for just the first two days. My doctor described the port best by saying it looks like a "stack of quarters" under your skin. It sounds worse than it is--my kids call it my medicine or magic button. I just keep it protected and pretty much forget it's there.
Hope this helps and stop worrying, it really is a minor procedure compared to the surgery you've already had.
by Ms Wick
on 9/17/2007 at 8:31 pm

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