Forum Discussion
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 port inserted or not. I have read the literature and listened to the advice of the nurses but as my husband says, no matter how nice the nurses are, making their job easier is not really my problem unless it affects me. He is concerned about me having another surgical procedure, albeit a minor one, that could be avoided. I'm concerned about that too but also concerned about the possibility of infection or ulceration (and pain) if I don't have the port.
I would love to hear your experiences from both sides - those who chose to go with the port and those who didn't. Why did you make the decision and how did it impact your treatment, health and recovery?
Thanks
I've had lots of information from my questions about preparing for chemo but I have another decision to make - whether to have a port inserted or not. I have read the literature and listened to the advice of the nurses but as my husband says, no matter how nice the nurses are, making their job easier is not really my problem unless it affects me. He is concerned about me having another surgical procedure, albeit a minor one, that could be avoided. I'm concerned about that too but also concerned about the possibility of infection or ulceration (and pain) if I don't have the port.
I would love to hear your experiences from both sides - those who chose to go with the port and those who didn't. Why did you make the decision and how did it impact your treatment, health and recovery?
Thanks
78 Replies
- OMG! I'd be shaking so much they'd miss! When I had my CT scans I was surprised that everything wasn't blurry let alone going in for surgery!
- When I asked my surgeon about it on Thursday (after hearing all of the experiences provided on this discussion) he said that my veins were good but that I would not have them by the end of the treatment. He strongly advised me to go with the port and said that he would be happy to take it out immediately if for some reason I couldn't tolerate it. The nurse at the chemo place said that I should ask the surgeon to put it in next Friday (obviously thinking that it would take a while to get a surgery time) and leave a needle in over the weekend to start the treatment the following Monday. My surgeon said "absolutely not" and that he would fit me in to his schedule immediately so that it could heal beforehand. It really does depend who you see, doesn't it? @Joannie, the worse thing about it was the waiting on Saturday to go into theatre (as always). I have had little pain although it is feeling a bit bruised now but I have been sent home with Panadeine Forte in case I need it. I can't imaging watching them put something in to a vein so close to my heart - very pleased that wasn't given to me as an option.
- I was also awake for my port, i had light sedation and a local - getting the port is the best thing I've ever done! I have terrible veins, they're small and they apparently move & roll or something.
When i had my blood tests, my arms would at times be bruised for weeks. - I assumed you were being driven. Whether you had a general anaesthetic or local with sedation, you legally shouldn't drive for 24 hours
- General but when it comes out it will be under local.
- Oops! That should have read "being driven home from hospital". While I felt mostly okay, I was still a little bit in the land of the fairies to be trusted behind the wheel! Hopefully it should be healed enough by the 5th to not give me too much discomfort.
