Allergy to Adhesives…..in need of bandaging idea for port
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Thanks Karen and Lourdes…..I am going to go to my regular computer and printer and print this info off so I can read it better and take with me to the next infusion.
I will report back about all of this if I find something that works. I cringe at the thought of having to have the port accessed every day for 5 days in a row, so I hope we can come up with a good answer to this for me and hopefully many others. My current oncologist/chemo center said that they have two of us right now who are severely allergic to the adhesives on almost everything. Since I am going to be getting the VIDAZA infusions for “the rest of my life” (Mayo hematologist) , whether it is for 3 months or 3 years…..we have to come up with something that works. And…if it works for me….hopefully it will work for others.
Julie
Julie,
I have seen this same issue countless times, and I know how bad it can be. I am so sorry! Marion contacted me about this awhile ago….I finally found some information that I myself am planning to bring back to our inpatient/outpatient units at our next staff meeting. We struggle with severe tape allergies quite often.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/763161_3
This article suggests a soft foam dressing over the site. I can envision what they are referring to, as we have similar dressings at my facility. The port needle would not be visible however, so this is a problem. Look through the article and see what you think.
-Karen
Hi Julie,
Your post reminded me of some of the patients I see where I work, and the RNs will use Hypafix tape (which is the cloth tape)…although you may have already tried this.I did a search for Hypafix alternatives and came across this site: http://oley.org/?page=tapeforsensitiveskin
Not sure if it will be helpful or not?
Wishing you all the best,
LourdesThank you everyone for the help. I start the Vidaza 5 days of infusions again next Monday (one week from now) and will take some of the ideas with me.
Gavin, Yes….the Cavilon is something we have tried. It isn’t 100% perfect, but it did help. The problem came last month/round when the nurse FORGOT to use the Cavilon on the first days of the 5 days of infusions. The next day….BLISTERS!!! I am just now to the point that the skin has healed almost….but it is still red and one scar the nurse said looked like I’d had open heart surgery.
. Once the blisters had started…..they didn’t have anything they could put on the skin over the areas of the blisters….and thus…major issues.So, I am hoping that when I go back next week…and it is remembered to put Cavalon on before the bandage dressing to protect the port overnight…..I won’t deal with the blisters again this time. If they raise up again, we’ll probably have to de-access the port every night and re-access each morning of the 5 days.
.Julie
Found this –
http://www.livestrong.com/article/152817-allergic-reaction-to-medical-adhesive/
Look here under dressings and surgery for pressure sores, could be useful Julie –
And here –
BOOM! Perhaps??? Cavilon????
“Versatile Solution that Guards Skin From the Outside in- solution for many skin problems including, medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI), periwound skin damage, peristomal skin damage, incontinence-associated dermatitis and other mositure and friction skin damage prevention needs”
I only found the Cavilon stuff from the Macmillan link and if they recommend it then that would be good for me as they are one of the top cancer sort of organisations in the UK.
Hopefully Karen would be able to talk about Cavilon more??
Will see if I can find any more info Julie and hope some of these links are helpful.
Hugs,
Gavin
Will take a look this afternoon Marion. I was doing some searching here when the site went down last night for a bit and I got booted out. But I found this thread with the last post by Lisa before I got booted out.
http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=11618
Maybe reach out to Lisa Julie for more specific info on this?
Hugs to all,
Gavin
Julie….Perhaps our Karen (oncology nurse) has some suggestions. I will reach out to her.
Hang in there
Hugs
MarionOh dear Julie, you have been through so much….I wish I could fly to Iowa and make everything better than it is, and I would if you asked because life is so unfair. You are dealing with side effects of side effects, and if there ever was a survivor to be praised, it is you dear Julie and I respect you and all you have dealt with is amazing. I pray you find a way as you have until now. My best, Pat
Marion, I could not find anything on our site but did some other searching and found this:
The most important treatment for an allergic or irritant contact reaction to a medical adhesive is to remove the bandage or tape. Gently cleansing the area with mild soap and water is necessary to remove any residual adhesive. If possible, it’s best to leave the area uncovered so it can heal. If a bandage is necessary, covering the area with sterile gauze and applying tape to the gauze rather than the skin prevents further irritation. For a true allergic reaction, over-the-counter antihistamines and corticosteroid creams may be recommended. If the skin is blistering or the redness is spreading, it’s important to see a medical professional for treatment advice.
Not sure how you keep the gauze on without taping it!?!?!?
There are many types of medical adhesives, so one brand might irritate your skin while another will not. Paper and cloth tapes are less likely to irritate the skin than plastic tapes or bandages.Lainy, Gavin…do you remember the posting regarding allergies to adhesives? I know it’s been talked about on this board? My mind is blanking out on it.
Hugs
MarionI am currently doing an infusion 5 days in a row, so we are leaving my port accessed. However, I have pretty severe allergies to adhesives. The chemo nurses have used just about every bandage they have on me for super sensitive skin and unfortunately, the first day this week the nurse forgot to put this stuff called Cavelon on before bandaging it to go home with the port still accessed. I developed blisters under the edges of the bandage that pulled open when the bandage was removed. OUCH!
So, the blisters are now trying to heal. But, we took the needle out after the infusion today and will reaccess it tomorrow to allow the skin to settle down some. After tomorrow, I will be done with infusion until another three weeks goes by.
Does anyone have any knowledge of dressings that seal down for super sensitive people? I am going to be doing these 5 days of infusions, every month for as long as the drug works….or as the hematologist put it, “For the rest of your life.” I hate the idea of having to access the port 5 days in a row for so long.
I previously had found a tape that sort of worked better, though it still left me red, just not blistered. However, the nurses have a blue tape that works really well and my skin has no reaction. Unfortunately, we need a better seal around that port to be able to go home with it accessed…so taping on a bandage is not good enough to seal out bacteria.
Help????
Julie
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