To Port or not to Port
(Apologies if this appears twice - my first attempt has disappeared) I've had lots of information from my questions about preparing for chemo but I have another decision to make - whether to have a p...
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Hi @Sister ! I made it through 12 weeks Taxol then another 7 months of 3 weekly herceptin (finished on the 19th Jan Hip hip hooray). Twice only did the chemo nurse had to have 2 shots at a vein so they survived well . If you do feel pain that's usually an indication that the canula is not in properly and they'll try again.I always made sure I drank plenty of water beforehand to pump up the veins (but make sure you pee before they canulate you, as it's pain bringing the drip to the loo with you, especially when you forget to unplug it, like I did once :) !) . The nurses call the drip pole/trolley a boyfriend, why??.........wait for it......cause he follows you everywhere , hahaha !
The nurses at Peter Mac always use a heat pack too which makes them pop out a bit more. I wouldn't call the insertion of the canula painful , it's a little pinch or prick and if you breathe through it you should breeze through it. And it's not even a needle per se anymore but a bit of plastic.
My sister's veins however collapsed after her first chemo and she had a port inserted which then got Infected :( To her the port was a physical reminder of her cancer until it was taken out 12 months later. I had the same conversation port vs veins with her before I started and decided to give the veins a go and change to a picc or a port if things deteriorated but thankfully didn't have to.
Good luck with your decision and your chemo but be kind to yourself and follow your gut . All the best J x
The nurses at Peter Mac always use a heat pack too which makes them pop out a bit more. I wouldn't call the insertion of the canula painful , it's a little pinch or prick and if you breathe through it you should breeze through it. And it's not even a needle per se anymore but a bit of plastic.
My sister's veins however collapsed after her first chemo and she had a port inserted which then got Infected :( To her the port was a physical reminder of her cancer until it was taken out 12 months later. I had the same conversation port vs veins with her before I started and decided to give the veins a go and change to a picc or a port if things deteriorated but thankfully didn't have to.
Good luck with your decision and your chemo but be kind to yourself and follow your gut . All the best J x