Port Problems and chemo side effects
- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I’m fortunate to not need a port. There were times that I thought a port would be a wonderful device, but, reading your posts (and others), I’m not so sure now. There is a lot more to it than I ever thought.
As everyone else has said, you are strong and will get through this. You have to. There is no “what’s behind Door #2” option. Therefore you will. QED.
Would it help to imagine us with you, sharing the anxiety and pain? It wouldn’t take more than three or four of us to dilute it to a manageable level. We’ll be there for you.
Duke
Dear Julie, I agree with Darla you are a very strong woman and still try to find humor in the not so good. I agree whom ever put in that port did not do a great job. Think of yourself as the Little Engine That COULD! I know I an, I know I can!
Julie,
I’m sorry you are having all these problems. I agree, it is all totally unnecessary. Yes, you are a strong lady as you have shown in the past and you will get through this, too. One day at a time.
Hugs,
DarlaEveryone, Thanks for the response to my post about the chemo port and side effects.
Lainy, I’ll see what I can do about finding Brioske. It’s not that the Hiccups or burps are terrible….just kind of annoying and don’t like doing them in a crowd all the time…esp the burps.
BTW….my new oncologist mentioned that there is a ginger gum that can be chewed for the queasiness and she gave me a couple pieces to try. It did work pretty well. However, I tend to be a drooler…..(no jokes please) ….so maybe it isn’t the “prettiest” solution for me. The Quease Ease ginger oil inhaler also work pretty well, but you have to keep sniffing it. I did use Lorazapam today ….twice and will use it again shortly before bed. It seemed to work the best over the day…..and only slept when I intended to sleep. I am pretty tired tonight again though, but had two social events tonight….so not surprised.
Kris….Yeah….I hope to God that I don’t have to have the port replaced again after I take it out….because you and I both know what that means. But, if I do…..sigh….the surgeon and I are going to have a “Jesus come to meeting” type understanding before I let him cut into my chest about where and how he places it. This has been just crazy awful port access and has added to the misery and pain…..totally not necessary.
Yes, I WILL get through this…….I may scream…I may cry….I may grit my teeth, but I won’t give up and will get through whatever I have to get through. I have no intention on giving up….but I also know that I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve….so tears come easily….and though I’m generally tougher regarding pain than the average person, my toughness has taken a huge hit with anxiety quickly following up from behind. I WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!!!
Julie T.
Julie, I am so sorry you are having to go through all of this. For the Hiccups, there is an over the counter remedy called Brioske and it comes in a blue plastic container. It is much like Alka Seltzer but better. Teddy had hiccups for months after his Whipple and nothing worked until a Pharmacist friend told us about Brioske and it worked with one dose. Then he used it for upset stomach and etc. Hoping you get a better day of it next session!
Hi Julie,
Sorry to hear about all of the issues your are having with the port and the nausea right now, grrrr to them and you’re right, this too shall pass and you will get through it! Can’t really help with anything about the port as my dad never had chemo, but Kris’s advice sounds good to me. Please stay strong and you know that we are here for you.
Hugs,
Gavin
Julie –
I understand that thoughts about the port. Mark had to have his pulled after his first three doses of chemo….clear back in September because of his continual problems with blood infections and the concern that the port was the source. He had to keep it out for two months and then we had the discussion about placing a new port. At the time we were more than half-way done with chemo and he opted to not have the port replaced. So he had to have an IV start every time he did chemo. It was awful. One time we ran over two hours late because it took that long to get a line in and then had to wait another hour for labs. After that they would draw his labs from hie elbow area and then call the IV team to start an IV. I would give him Ativan before we got there so he could make it through. It was frustrating for me because I knew I could get a line in him. Then to top it off he had to have the port put back in before he started the chemo-radiation in March. We should have just done it when we talked about it in November.And you are right, the port will have to be flushed monthly after you are done with chemo….but you could just have it taken out at that point then have a new one put in if needed later on down the road and maybe it would be better placement.
If you opt to have the port replaced, I would without a doubt have a long talk with the surgeon before hand about having it placed…where it would work better. I would think closer to the middle of your chest. That’s is where Mark’s is. He hunts some and when they decided to put it in the right side, it would interfere with the port so he explained that to the doc and he placed it more center. I don’t think most people realize that you can ask for placement…..I have actually seen a port placed in the inside of the upper arm rather than in the chest.
Keeping thinking positive….the end is worth the battle. And when you get all those gold stars on you calender treat yourself to a spa day or something nice like that. A reward for those stars just like when we were kids.
Hang in there. This too shall pass.KrisV
Had chemo again on Wednesday, June 11th, and it was torture to get access into the port again. The nurses kept apologizing, …that” This is supposed to make this easier, not harder.”
So, here’s what happened.
The first nurse put in the needle, appeared to get it centered, but couldn’t get blood for the labs….the fluid was just slightly tinged with blood. When she tried to flush it with saline, it was like she was pushing boiling hot liquid through my vein. She tried pushing the needle in further, just in case it wasn’t all the way in, and tried flushing again, but with the same pain results. So, she withdrew the needle.
Nurse #2 attempts to access the port three times (that’s three punctures) , but said she was always getting “an edge”. She withdraws the needle the last time and
Nurse #3 surveys the situation, asks a few questions and then calls nurse #1 back to press the edges of the port through the skin up against my chest muscle in a more upright position (apparently, it is tipped) while nurse #3 punctures the skin and port one more time. Success…finally. But not without a lot of pain and anxiety for my part.
The dilemma: To go into surgery again to remove this port and replace it with another that is better positioned….or to proceed with 7 more infusions until I”m done with the Gem/Cis chemo. I would still have to have it flushed every four weeks after that if I understand correctly. If we proceed using the port, we’re hoping that with the two nurses double teaming, we may be able to access it without all the attempts and pain. (No, my arm veins aren’t easy access either…..which is why I got the port in the first place). I would consider having the port replaced except I’m half way through the Gem/Cis…and to do it, I would first have to go off of the anticoagulant Coumadin for the pulmonary embolisms I suffered in early May, which would put me at risk for more blood clots.
So, I’ve decided to continue on this course, using the port and hoping for the best in accessing it. Right now, the area over the port is pretty sore and I’m just trying to tell myself ….just 7 more punctures and I’ll be done. For the rest of the infusions, I will have blood drawn from my arm instead of from the port for my labs to make sure that the blood numbers are good enough to have chemo that day before we go through the port access. It adds one more step to the process, but my Onc seemed to agree with my idea of going ahead with the double teaming and arm blood draw.
After all the trauma of the port access, my Onc ordered an antidepressant (which I’m also using in pill form for nausea if it gets that bad) to be administered. I’d had it before via IV, so didn’t think much about it, but this time, she must have decided on a larger dose due to all the trauma I’d been through. The effect was one of making me feel like I was getting anesthesia for surgery……head swimming….to sleep and when they woke me up to leave, I still was dizzy and not surefooted. ….just the worst feeling. I will have a discussion about that with the ONc next week before chemo again on Wed.
Side effects: Have had nausea off an on today…not really bad, but last time, it didn’t start really big until the Saturday and lasted through Monday. It’s more queasiness than nausea…sort of like sea sickness/motion sickness. Ringing in my ears again……which happened during round 2….and which faded by the end of the week…about day 6 or so. Tiredness….yawning all the time….sleeping more….body needs the sleep. Can only eat small amounts at a time. Burping and hiccuping esp all the time……of all weird things.
This too shall pass. It did for round 2. Day 8 of just the Gemzar isn’t as bad…….really few side effects from that. Am telling myself, I just now have to get through 3 more Day Ones.
So far, blood counts are doing okay….low, but not too low to stop the chemo. White blood count is in the low normal range and Red blood count is slightly below normal. Platelets are in the middle of normal.
I WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!! I have a star sticker chart to prove it!!!!
Iowa Girl
Julie T.
- The forum ‘General Discussion’ is closed to new topics and replies.