Porta cath

I think the fear of  treatment was worse than the treatment. Yes I didn't feel well on it but the unknown is what stresses you out. I was glad of my portacath. X

Hi @chipo, I can relate to how you are feeling, there is a lot to take in at the beginning. Getting a porta cath was the best thing I did as I have silly veins and thankfully have had no problems so far with it.  The first access a few days after it was inserted was a bit sore but otherwise it is a small sting and I haven't used any numbing creams with it. I was lucky with my 4 rounds of AC to only have nausea and some fatigue but still worked part-time and kept up with my four year old. I am 5/12 way through paclitaxol and nausea gone, some days more tired than others but generally pretty good. I found walking every morning helps with the fatigue and taking one step at a time. Take care and hope your first chemo goes well x

Thank you for your reassurance ladies . Will strive to take it a day at a time .

Hi Chipo. We all understand how you’re feeling. The porta cath really will make things much easier in the long run. I used the emla numbing patches for the first few weeks after I got mine but now I don’t bother. It really doesn’t hurt much at all when they access it, just a needle prick. They will give you the patches in the chemo ward so don’t buy them.
As far as chemo goes everyone has different reactions and side effects. I’m one of the lucky ones- I’ve had hardly any side effects at all. I’ve had a couple of days where I felt a bit yuck but nothing like I was expecting. It really hasn’t effected my day to day life- I’m still chasing around after my 2 kids and life is going on as usual. 
I know it’s different for everyone but I just wanted to share a positive story with you. I hope your chemo goes smoothly.

Hi @Chipo. Control what you can. Having a port was the best decision for me, as I also have bad veins. It takes one stress out of chemo. Lots of people find it helpful to use a local anaesthetic patch or cream (brand name Emla) for when the port is accessed, but it was never offered to me, and it never bothered me. My port went in on a Friday and was accessed for chemo the following Tuesday - 4days. That was probably the worst one. I would also warn you that the pain from the insertion was, for me, worse than the pain following my wide local excision and axillary clearance.  But I am a bit of a wuss.
As @SoldierCrab has said, the list of potential side effects is long, but very few people get all of them, and some lucky people get very few of them. Who knows where you'll fall on the spectrum .
Take care, 
Lyn

hi chipo
its ok to be anxious but try to relax .... the list of side effects doesn't mean you will get them. 
Remember you can ring the helpline and chat to them... 
ONE step at a time @Chipo
did you get your MY Journey Kit ? 
you can write things down in it. 

Breathe .... 

I use relaxation cds to help me relax....
Petrea King has a great one called Relaxation...  Relaxation            you can find it on itunes.