To Port or Not to Port????

[tkelley]

Trying to stay upbeat Anyway, dad says his veins are getting shot due to heart problems, extensive treatments, etc. He does not want a port but thinks it may be easier.......from what I have read from past posts, most people despise the port. Just looking for some opinions...

Thanks!

Tammy

[Andrea]

My mom wouldn't have had it any other way, she loved hers.

[EastCoastLadi]

Tammy,

my husband has had his port for over a year now, and it's the way to go w/ iv chemo treatment. The only thing he hates about it now is that he has to get it flushed once a month and that first insert of the needle is a little painful for him. but when my husband needed it, the port definitely was the way to go.

Grace

[Ry]

Not sure where you read but usually when this topic comes up-- the port wins hands down. They are very convenient. John started chemo very fast due to his VCS. He started without a port and his vein leaked. That meant about 15 injections into his hand to neutralize the chemo-- so if your dad is having issues with his veins-- please get the port before he has to go through something like that. Make sure you get a prescription for the numbing cream for the access site.

[TracyD]

Hi Tammy,

To port or not to port, I found this to be a tough decision. In the end I chose not to have a port as the thought of having a permanent reminder of my cancer embedded under my skin just didn't sit well with me. However, I was also very fortunate that through six rounds of chemo I didn't have any major problems with my veins.

I think your dad needs to do whatever will make things easier for him and what he's comfortable with.

Good luck,

Tracy

[spicysashimi]

In the long run, I think its better. Does anyone like getting stuck in the arms all the time? To be honest though, sometimes it makes me sick, especially after chemo, I want to rip it out and smash it with a sledgehammer.

If the stars align for me, I would cherish the day it would be removed.

And yeah, I wasn't asked. It seemed like standard procedure. I had this crazy good interventional radiologist who just prided herself on her skills. She was definitely more of a surgeon. She had short spikey hair and a matching zebra apron and mask (not kidding). I went in for a core biopsy and a port. She said they usually don't two at once but will for me. "I'll tell you what, I'll do the biopsy and if your lung doesn't collapse, I'll put the port in, ok?" Ha. I was blowin blood out of my nose after the biopsy, she slipped the port right in. What an awful day that was.

Get the port and good luck.

[ernrol]

Tammy,

These are decisions that are hard to make. I was never given a choice. The onc said you have great veins so you won’t need a port. I really preferred not to have one, because I thought it would make me feel like I was not under treatment. I am very active and exercise a lot. I think you will find that people who do not prefer a port do not like the idea, but once they have one they seem to like it. If your dad feels better without one, I think he should try to do with out it. If it gets so bad they cannot use the veins then he will have to give in. It’s a mental thing, but it means a lot to the patient. His onc should be able to tell him if he thinks he can continue without one.

Stay positive,

Ernie

[marym]

Hi Tammy,

A port is great. No much looking for viens. The nurses and patients all seem to find it easier to use. I've had mine for abot 18 months.

Mary

[tkelley]

Thank you so much for all of the input, I plan on passing it on to my dad. Ry, I think despise was too strong a word. It seems that people are against getting a port and maybe it is because like others have said it "makes you look/feel sick". He just got his scans results today so its all just sinking in. I am sure all of these responses from people actually in the same boat he is will really help! You guys are great!

[Don Wood]

You dad sounds like an excellent candidate for the port. I also was under the impression there were more "fer" ports than "agin". My wife had one for 4 years and was very appreciative of it. You do have to be sure it doesn't get infected, though. A saline/heparin wash should be done after every use and once a month if there is no activity. Good luck. Don

[pecola]

Hi Tammy. My Mom is going through her second primary breast cancer in 10 years and her surgeon automatically installed a port when she had her second mastectomy (10-30-06). She is grateful for the port, as my husband's grandmother had serious complications due to the chemo being injected directly into her veins. She has never has a problem with her port.

Best Wishes,

~Gina

[dchurchi]

Like Ry's husband, Alan had SVCS and his first chemo was through his viens which quickly collapsed.

Alan had his port shortly after and his life was much easier

[Geri]

I had my port put in after my first chemo and what a difference it made.

The first one involved hot towels, slapping of hand to find a vein and then countless sticks as it rolled every time they thought they had one. It was a nightmare.

The port was put in and it was a breeze! I kept it in for 3 years and had it flushed when it wasn't regularily used. That will be the first thing that gets done if I ever need chemo again, absolutely no doubt in my mind.

Geri

[trish2418]

I also had my port before my first chemo and was very grateful for it. Hasn't been used for chemo since March and hopefully I'll have to think about having it removed soon.

Praying your dad's treatments go well.

Trish

[cindi o'h]

If I ever have to have chemo again, I will get a port. I got slapped and hot toweled and poked in the hand and then up the arm as vein after scardeycat vein failed to stand up to task.

Cindi o'h

[kamataca]

PORT!

Mom's life is much easier now that she has one. No more collapsed veins, etc.

Kelly

[Welthy]

For what it is worth, Tony resisted a port and went through 30 chemo IV "invasions". He did the whole heating pad thing, hydration, etc. during some of this time. The Doc figured if his veins got too bad he could always get a port. (You are either born with good veins or you are not -- but they can break down over time with extensive infusions.)

Fast-forward to last week. New treatment plan requires a port for infusion due to skin irritation, etc. No choice for Tony anymore. He has done two chemos with the port (one the day after surgery) and NOW he says, "Gee, I should have done this a long time ago".

Go figure -- but another perspective.

Welthy

[Judy-OK]

I always thought I had great veins. Never had a problem donating blood or taking blood tests. I did not realize they utilized the veins on the top of my hand/arm for chemo. The therapist asked me after my first chemo treatment if I would be willing to get a port. I did so. During the procedure my lung collapsed so had a few days in the hospital. When I went back to the surgeon who installed the port I asked him if I could keep it for the rest of my life rather than risk ever needing it reinserted. He laughted at me and said I certainly could as long as I got it flushed out every 6 to 8 weeks. Monday is my port flush and PET scan day. I guess afer having said all that I can be counted as a PRO port lady. LOL collapsed lung and all!!!!

[recce101]

When I got my port I was led to believe, or at least allowed to believe, that it was useable for things other than chemo infusions -- regular blood draws, CT scan contrast dye, etc. So far it has been used only for chemo. Altlhough my veins are still minimally "okay," I'm looking toward the day when they may not be, and have started asking this question of the techs who are praparing me for contrast scans or other procedures requiring IV. The most common answer is lack of training, which would seem easiliy remedied, and one told me that the major hospital downtown did have people in its imaging department trained to use ports. But the tech at my last CT scan had a different explanation -- he said the type of dye I was getting for my chest scan was injected under pressure which was beyond the limits the port was designed to handle. Can anyone confirm the validity of this explanation?

Aloha,

Ned

[Nancy B]

My chemo nurses said they wouldn't put chemo through it if they couldn't get blood out of it too. There is a prescription cream "Emla" I think it is called. Put a big glob on the port about an hour before chemo and cover it with that plastic wrap that sticks to things. I don't even feel the stick in or removal. My port was on my radiation side so it is pretty tender.

[Larry]

Look's like my opinion is going to match the rest of the gang. My Wife knew she did not have the best vein's and loved her port and would and did tell all who were deciding to do it. A friend of mine had colon cancer a few year's back and kept his port in and he may still have it in but at one time he was talking of having it removed........