Port slipped/flipped - aching and painful
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Hi Joanne. Sorry to hear about your port. I have a love/hate relationship with mine. The first time my port was inserted in January last year my whole chest hurt as well as right up into my neck and I had terrible headaches. It took about 3 weeks for the pain to settle down. Then in about May last year my port flipped and I ended up having to have a second surgery to correct it after the manual manipulation failed. I didn't get it replaced - just reattached to the chest muscle. Since the second surgery I have busted my stitches yet again. It is "floating" in my chest now and so far it hasn't flipped a second time (although it is blocked again with a fibrin sheath). I am keeping my fingers crossed it stays in its current position.
My port is painful from time to time, but not like it was when it was first inserted. I sleep on my stomach and I find that sometimes it presses into my chest wall and as a result causes me pain in the morning. A guy next to me in the chemo unit had a lot of pain as well as a swollen face in the mornings and he ended up having a blood clot in his port which turned out to be an emergency and required immediate surgery. I think if you are really worried get someone to look at it early if you can.
From memory I had to wait a few weeks before I could have surgery under a general anaesthetic to correct it and that was despite being a private patient. I had a general surgeon experience with ports put it in, and had to wait for an opening in his theatre times as well as for the anaesthetist to be available. As @primek said, any sign of infection or a blood clot then I would suggest to either ring your chemo unit or go to emergency. Good luck with it. Nadine
My port is painful from time to time, but not like it was when it was first inserted. I sleep on my stomach and I find that sometimes it presses into my chest wall and as a result causes me pain in the morning. A guy next to me in the chemo unit had a lot of pain as well as a swollen face in the mornings and he ended up having a blood clot in his port which turned out to be an emergency and required immediate surgery. I think if you are really worried get someone to look at it early if you can.
From memory I had to wait a few weeks before I could have surgery under a general anaesthetic to correct it and that was despite being a private patient. I had a general surgeon experience with ports put it in, and had to wait for an opening in his theatre times as well as for the anaesthetist to be available. As @primek said, any sign of infection or a blood clot then I would suggest to either ring your chemo unit or go to emergency. Good luck with it. Nadine