Porta Cath.

[tinab]

How many of you or loved one have a Porta Cath?

IF Tarceva Doesn't work they are going to do Almita and do a Porta Cath.

My Aunt has one from her Breast Cancer but she doesn't remember anything about it other than it has to be cleaned every month.

Tina

[kimblanchard]

It's GREAT. If you must have IV Chemo, it is the easiest and best way to go. I've had mine for two years and have had absolutely NO problems.

jim

[joanie55]

I don't have one, but would love to hear from some of the women. (only because I like to wear low cut tops). My veins are just about shot.

Thanks for posting this Tina.

Joan

[Geri]

I had one and loved it.

My veins are not good and this was a Godsend. I kept in in for 3 years - just have to get a regular flush when not getting chemo. It was great for blood tests and scans with contrast too.

My scar is not too pretty, the surgeon was local and not the best. It was suggested that I have it removed by a plastic surgeon if I wanted it to look better. I was going to but didn't get round to it and now I don't even see it........it goes along with the black dot tattoos.

If need be I'd have another one put in a heartbeat.

Geri

[myrnalu]

Ive had one since Nov.Love it,my veins are horrible.

its only used for the chemo but its much better than getting an iv.Looks like a grape under my skin.Has to be flushed once a month when not getting chemo.They also have a cream you can put on an hr before chemo and you dont even feel the needle.

[pammie]

I have one in my right upper arm. the left arm was all messed up from cellulitis so the surgeon put it in the right. It is great. Gets flushed once a month. Never have had one bit of trouble with it. got it put in the last of June in 2004 when diagnosed with LC. I take 1mg. of warfarin daily for blood thinner. The nurses do a great job of inserting the needle. It doesn't hurt any more than a vein stick and often less. they can draw blood from it for lab work. My experience has been very positive. pammie

[Don Wood]

My wife has one and has had it for 3 1/2 years. She really loves it. The first one she had got infected with staph (in a hospital!), which is one of the dangers. When the second one was installed, the surgeon said that no one should use the port but for chemo. With that warning, we have been fine. It does need to be flushed once a month with heparin and saline to keep it clear and clean. We have not had to worry about that because Lucie has been on chemo for a long time. Don

[purplelady47]

If I need to have chemo again, I am going to INSIST on a port.

I didn't get one originally due to some insurance problems and some timing issues - it was the holiday season and I didn't want to wait to start chemo.

When I was 1/2 way through chemo, finding a good vein became difficult and multiple jabs were needed for blood draws and IV insertions. I am not going to deal with that again!

Pam in FL

(who felt like a pin cushion for the last three months!)

[Jyoung20]

The port made everything so much easier for me. I get my flushed about evey two to three months. If it doesn't want to work, they use heperin (SP). I couldn't have made it without the port. The first time they tried to set an I.V. at the beginning of chemo, I was stuck 11 times. That was the end of that. Now it's only one stick and if you have chemo every day, it can be acsessed for up to 5 days I think. Good luck.

The only thing I would do differently is to ask for I.V. anesthesia during the procedure to put it in. Not just localized anesthesia.

Hope this helps,

Jamie

[Linda661]

Mom doesn't have one yet, but this experience leads us to believe that she should get one if lots more chemo is in her future. Her arms are so black and blue from all those needle sticks that she looks abused to me! She has really hard-to-find veins (am surprised her docs didn't talk about one for her when all of this got started)

I've been talking to a number of people at the center we go to for a bit now on these things and they all love their Porta Caths -- the vote from folks where we go is that the access placed in the chest area is superior to the access placed in the upper arm as far as day-to-day comfort for the patient (the folks with access in the upper arms seem to run the risk of snagging them on things and accidentially pulling them out).

Hope this helps,

Linda

[marym]

I had a port put in almost immediately and it's far easier. Mine is deep, so you don't really see it and I have had it almost a year with no problems.

Mary

[Ann]

Dennis had a port and it worked wonderfully for him during treatment. While in the chemo room, he would get so upset when he would see all the "vein poking" going on and all the pain people were going through. If I ever in a position to face this monster myself, I will definitely request to have a port. I just think it makes the whole ordeal so much easier on the patient.

[trish2418]

I had my port inserted before I had my first chemo session. Have had it since August '05 and have had no problems with it.

Trish

[tinab]

Thakns for the replies. They had a hard time getting a Vien when MIL went for blood work and that's when the Dr told her if she had chemo again they would want to do a Porta Cath.

Tina

[Suzie Q]

The port is plavced under the skin in the OR. It is an outpatient procedure done under conscious sedation if possible.

My mom loved having one, but sometimes had to wait for a RN for a blood draw as the lab techs were not trained to draw from ports.

Ports cannot be used for the injection of CT contrast because it has to be injected with too much force.

Mom waited far too long to get one...it was such a relief to know she wouldn't get stuck multiple times...

~Karen

[hollyanne]

My mom loved hers...in her chest. her veins were so shot, and "getting stuck" consistently caused her so much anxiety. She was given general anesthesia when she got hers...an outpatient procedure. She was never stuck again for anything -- blood draws, contrast, morphine, chemo, etc.

[trish2418]

I had mine inserted in time for my first round of chemo. Mine is just below my shoulder bone and hides underneath my bra strap. I find it to be very inconspicuous and, like others have said, it makes chemo a breeze. Much better than digging around for vein. I highly recommend it.

Trish

[EastCoastLadi]

Tina,

My husband had one placed in his upper left side chest after his first round of chemo, the procedure was simple and he had no pain, it did make it easier for the nurses to administer his chemo, and they took care of flushing it out. Also he doesn't have to worry about it when he's taking any tests like catscans, mri's or petscans. He isn't in chemo as of now, but his dr. wanted to keep it in him, because he probably will be going for more chemo in the near future, and now the nurses just flush it once a month.

Grace

[mhutch1366]

I kept mine for 5 years.

I used to have good veins, but now I still have trouble with the iv catheter for lines, as for CT contrast. Not fun.

The 'port really spoiled me.

I'd get another one in a New York minute if I needed chemo again.

XOXOXOX

MaryAnn

[barbaraSanAntone]

You got good news from the folks that have a port. Actually, I didnt know anything about it when I first started chemo, took 2 treatments without it, but my veins were good, and the nurses kept asking me why I didnt have a port. My onc doctor told me the reason he didnt have me get one before I started chemo was because he said he wasnt sure I would show up. Boy, he had me pegged. I wasnt sure I wanted to start ANY treatment. Anyway, I had it done as outpatient by general surgeon under "twilight" anesthesia. Cant hardly tell I have one, it's so small. I finished chemo April 2006, and now just go to have it flushed, just takes about 5 minutes or less. My onc nurses were SO HAPPY when I had it put in!!!!

[RandyW]

getting it put in is like going into a Bait and tackle shop Deb said. She loved hers was high on chest but did not show that much.