Bill Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Anybody with a Port-A-Cath had any complications and / or maintenance issues ? Has weekly maintenance by your OCN been sufficient to keep your Port-A-Cath safe and effective ? BTW, my wife has had no peripheral vein problems after months of receiving Gemzar / carboplatin. Suddenly, her med onc has ordered her to get a Port-A-Cath implanted. They didn't even ask her. They set up the appointment then phoned us with the news and details. The carboplatin has been dropped and Navelbine added so the new chemo regimen is Gemzar / Navelbine. One of her OCNs states that Navelbine is the reason for this sudden decision. ( ???? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 My mom had no port problems at all. I am not sure what you mean by maintence, she didn't have any maintence on it. She liked the port, it was better than being stuck all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 My wife has a Port-A-Cath. It was recommended because she has very small, hidden veins. It was first installed on her right side, under the collar bone. After about a month, while she was in the hospital, she contracted a staph infection which went systemic. I had to take her to the emergency room. The port was removed and it took her about a month to heal. Radiation and chemo were suspended during that time. She had a second port installed on the left side and has had it for two years now without incident. We were told, and followed, that the port is to be used only for chemo. Before, the hospital was using it to give her other things. Also, whenever the port is used, it is cleaned with heparin and saline solution. We do not need to do this every week, but only when the port is used. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 John has had no problems with his port. There is a slightly higher risk of blood clots with a port so he takes a blood thinner. He has to have his port flushed every 5 weeks and that's the only maintenance he has done. Others on the board have Navelbine without a port so I am not sure why your doctor thinks she needs it after all this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 Hi Bill, I've had 13 treatments with (just) Navelbine intravenously. My understanding I would only go to a port if they had trouble with my veins. So far I have been lucky. It does get pushed thru and only takes (first some fluids/then the Navelbine/then Decadron to protect the site) 5 to 10 minutes for the Navelbine itself. Is your wife having trouble with her veins? Best to inquire why a port at this time. Hope this helps. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 30, 2005 Author Share Posted January 30, 2005 Hi Bill,I've had 13 treatments with (just) Navelbine intravenously. My understanding I would only go to a port if they had trouble with my veins. So far I have been lucky. It does get pushed thru and only takes (first some fluids/then the Navelbine/then Decadron to protect the site) 5 to 10 minutes for the Navelbine itself. Best to inquire why a port at this time. Hope this helps. Rich ///////////////// Thanks to all for the replies. I'd like to hear more. The reasoning behind this sudden decision to implant a Port-A-Cath after several months of peripheral vein admin. of Gemzar / carbo is still somewhat unclear. But, it appears ( based on the OCN's comments ) that my wife's med onc is of the opinion that her risk of peripheral vein inflammation is now greater with the new chemo regimen ( every other week Gemzar / Navelbine ). At this stage I have to trust his judgement and motivation on this issue. She is in poor condition and maybe they can't risk a setback in tx due to a vein complication. I imagine that most of you would consider this move beneficial to her anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I've had one for over a year with no problems, if unused (chemo break) a reoutine flush is required once a month. I love it, hell of lot easier than the hand/arm vein injections. I believe some chemos that burn will not using the implant. Don't be afraid of it. jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betplace Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill I have had my port since last a year ago November, they put it in on Monday and I started chemo on Tuesday. When I am not doing chemo they flush it once a month with heparin and I take 1 mg of comadin daily. I loved it cus when I was in the hospital they accessed it and kept the access in and when the vampires came in the night for their endless vials of blood (why do they take blood at 3 am?) they didn't even have to do more than rouse me a little. There is a small (as I understand it) riak of infection if the nurses do not care for it properly, but mine has been a real blessing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Please clarify when you take an anticoagulant. Is it routinely given as part of having a Port-A-Cath, or is it given during chemo breaks only or is whether or not it's given at all determined case by case based on the patient's medical history ? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 The flushing is done with heparin which is an anticoagulant. John also takes a low dose of cumadin to prevent clots. He takes the cumadin all the time. Now when he first got his port he did not take it. After I read about all the people here that had cumadin due to a port I asked about it and he was given a perscription. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Ry Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, I had problems with my vein on the first IV of low dose chemo. My vein perforated and they had to give me 10 injections to counteract the chemo. By the next week I had a Port. Let me say get the lidocaine-prlocaine cream to numb the skin over the port. Oh especially for the first time it is used. My nurse if she had been in front of my foot would have been on the other side of the room. As it was my chair hit the wall behind me. It has been great ever since I got the cream. I get it flushed every 5-6 weeks if it has not been used. The nice thing is the tube from it ends near my heart, so the chemo is diluted right away and pumped out to the cancer cells. Lifting and swimming or getting it wet just after it is put in is not a good idea. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stand4hope Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, My husband never had a port, but like I said in a previous post to you, Navelbine is a vein irritant and can burn right through the veins. If it starts to burn, they have to stop the injection immediately. They had to stop it several times with my husband and start over again in another arm. My husband is no woos and it burned so bad, it about brought tears to his eyes. Maybe they just don't want to put her through that - I don't know. I do know that they have to have a nice, wide, clear vein for the injections, and they also used a heating pad to warm up his veins before they tried the injection. How is your wife feeling about all of this? How is she feeling physically? Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, Dave has had two porta caths. He had one "installed" when he was first diagnosed for his first regimen of chemo. After he was in remission for six months or so the onco doc said he could have it removed. When his cancer returned to his forehead sinus cavity, he had a new one put back in. With both, he takes coumadin as an anticoagulant, it is a low dose which he takes daily. Now, he's had no complications with either porta cath and much prefers it to being stuck constantly, but strangely enough, with both porta caths (installed by two different surgeons), the catheter part slipped out of the vein it was supposed to be in, turned around and went into a vein heading in the wrong direction. Both times he went to the hospital and an interventional radiologist put a wire up through the artery in his groin, worked it up to the porta cath, lassoed the cath and pulled it back into place. a relatively painless and quick procedure. we've never heard of anyone else having this problem, I told Dave he must have teflon in his veins to make them slippery. My mother, who is 72 years old and currently undergoing chemo for Stage IV colon cancer, also got a porta cath put in. she much prefers this to being stuck all the time and she has no problem with it. You are supposed to get it flushed with heparin if it's not used frequently enough, maybe once every couple of weeks, but my mom had to take a three month break from chemo to have her colon surgery hernia repaired and didn't have it flushed and it was fine. The onco doc may know or foresee something. I would say if your wife is doing OK with her veins then don't fix it if it ain't broke, but the onco doc may be anticipating a real problem, and if she needs a porta cath better to get it before the problem starts I suppose. Sorry to ramble on so but I'm hoping the collective experience of my husband and my mom may be of some help. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 As you can tell from my rather lengthy signature I have had not one but TWO ports!! I have been through two-six months regimes of chemo.. I would not trade my port(s) for any other means of recieving chemo. I have also had blood drawn through the ports. As for problems, The cathater floated up into my jugular vein on each of the ports. To get that fixed I had to go to an interventional Radiologist. He went into a vein in my crotch and snaked a wire up through my heart and up into my jugular vein and then lasoed it and pulled the cathater back down toward my heart. Now that I have finished my chemo, I have to get it flushed once a month and I am on Coumadin (Warfarin is the generic drug for coumadine) I take 1 mg of warfarin per day. My Onc.'s office uses some kind of numbing spray prior to needle insertion into the port but if yours does not then I believe there is some numbing cream you can buy over the counter, heck you may be able to get the spray over the counter. Good luck on this decision. David C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 I've had my port for 17 months. I have to take antibiotics before having my teeth cleaned. I have it flushed every 4 weeks with saline, then "primed" with a small injection of Heparin to inhibit blood clot formation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 My husband had a port and what a blessing it was. I would sit by his side during his chemotherapy sessions and so many times I saw people that were being "poked" with that needle many times trying to find a vein. We were always glad he had the port. He never experienced any problems with the port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Lamb Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, when I was undergoing chemo I was constantly in agony with them trying to access my veins.(very painful).If the time comes that I am subjected to that again I will for sure request a port. The whole time I did chemo and now 1 time a month when having blood checked (coumidin level) my arms are always one big bruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay A. Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill...I forgot about this! Once I had a suspected leak (had swelling, burning at the port site during the flush.) I had to have a scan using dye. No leak was found, and it was determined that the person doing the flush had missed the port or gone all the way through it. Because it was just saline it didn't cause any huge problems. Had it been chemo I would have been in a world of hurt. Also, sometimes the tube that goes up into my jugular gets kinked or twisted-at least that is what it feels like. I just have to wait until things straighten out. I think someone here had to have his pulled back into place. I think it may have been David C? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 One lingering thought that troubles me. When my wife was in ICU they made four failed attempts to insert a PICC line. The catheter kept turning up instead of down at the major vessel bifurcation. They finally gave up. Does anybody know if this is the same major vessel bifurcation that is used for the Port-A-Cath ? If it is, I have to hope that the insertion location used for the PAC implant allows for a better approach and result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ry Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Well hey I can answer this one...I had a picc line last year for a couple of months. No, a picc line goes into the vein in the upper arm. The port will be placed in her upper chest closer to the heart. I am not sure if this is the same vein or not but I would think you wouldn't have the same problem. During the placement of my 2nd picc line (don't ask) the cath turned also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 Well hey I can answer this one...I had a picc line last year for a couple of months. No, a picc line goes into the vein in the upper arm. The port will be placed in her upper chest closer to the heart. I am not sure if this is the same vein or not but I would think you wouldn't have the same problem. During the placement of my 2nd picc line (don't ask) the cath turned also. I was over at the hospital this morning so I dropped by radiology and asked a nurse about this. She stated that the ultimate catheter destination for the PICC line and Port-A-Cath is the same. She speculated that the Port-A-Cath insertion MAY have a better outcome because of the insertion location. But, only a guess on her part and she said to tell the interventional radiologist about the PICC difficulties. I sure hope that this procedure is a success. My wife's condition is fragile and she really can't tolerate any more complications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Ann Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, One important thing to know is that there are different size port-a-caths. Believe it or not the surgeon who installed my mother's port, installed the wrong size. This was actually her second port and we are certain that we explained that the port was going to by used for drawing blood, IV fluids and possibly future chemo. The first time an attempt was made to access the port (for blood tests) the nurse could not get a return. After this happened a couple more times a port dye study was ordered to determine if the port was functioning properly and it was- for infusion but not aspiration. When we went back to the surgeon and questioned him on this, his response was that he did not realize that it was to be used to draw blood or he would have put in a larger port. I was so mad I could spit. Now we are faced with the possibility of having to get yet a third port. Just make sure that the Doctor installing the port understands exactly what the port is going to be used for. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remembering Dave Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Sorry I can't resist this, but I have to compliment you, Bill, on how thoroughly you are caring for your wife and being an advocate for her. I'll admit you're not the warmest and fuzziest person on this board, but you sure have what it takes for looking out for your wife and doing the best thing for her. My hat is off to you, sir. I sure hope you find the best answer for her and the PAC. Talking to the nurses in radiology sounds like a great idea. Please keep us posted. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyr Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 Bill, I had the PortACath under the collarbone for 3 months without trouble. Then, they put iodine through it for a CT scan and it caused terrible pain and eventually infection. I had to have emergency surgery to get it out. It works great when used only for chemo. DO NOT let them use it for anything else. Hope that helps. Prayers for your wife! CathyR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Thank to all for the additional replies, including the K&D compliment. I do try to detail my posts so that not only are my personal needs met but that other readers can possibly extract some useful info as well. This thread has taught me alot about the PAC. As a result, come Wed. morning I will be that much more aware when the procedure actually takes place. My wife gets the PAC implanted at the hospital then goes directly to the med onc for a chemo session. Then, back to the hospital if necessary. BTW, I will double check this on Wed. but I spoke briefly to the OCN by phone this afternoon and she stated that my wife's med onc doesn't prescribe a daily anticoagulant ( such as coumadin ) for PAC patients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.