Port Insertion Tomorrow
Hi All I'm having a port inserted into my chest tomorrow prior to starting chemo next week (my veins are too fragile to cope with lots of needles apparently). Just wondered if anyone had any advice ...
Forum Discussion
I think the whole idea was a bit creepy and I was really glad to get rid of mine, but the minor discomfort while I got used to it was nothing compared to the constant distress of trying to find one of my ruined veins. I've had chemo with and without a port, and there is no question that the port makes life so much easier for everyone involved.
It's just another shitty thing we have to endure. Regarding blood tests, if you have the opportunity to get to an oncology ward they are more than happy to access the port for you to draw bloods. You don't have to go to a private pathologist just because their name is on the request slip. Most pathology labs don't have staff who are trained to access them, but there are ways around that with a bit of forward planning if getting to an oncology ward is an option.
Its also worth remembering that if you do end up in hospital with an infection and need IV antibiotics it is possible to get someone from oncology--if there is a unit in the hospital--to come up and sort the port access out.
Training to use ports is something that major hospitals need to focus on so that if you have one, it's used whenever you need it. Marg x