port for chemo
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Hi LeeAnn,
Try not to think of the worst about todays news from this meeting and please let us know the outcome. We are all here for you.
Hugs,
Gavin
Dear LeeAnn, try not to jump to conclusions until you hear from those in the know!
Wishing you good news!Got a bad news yesterday. Antibiotics took care of liver infection, but CA19-9 is now in 200’s. I’m not sure what’s going on. Marker is going up slowly since the surgery but CT shows nothing. I’m going to meet with my onc and radiation onc. today. I guess they’re going to talk to me about dreaded chemoradiation.
Well, there you go! That sounds like good news to me. Sorry for the infection but probably better than recurrence. That’s odd you would have an infection and not be symptomatic. It sounds to me like God has a close eye on you. What a coincidence you got your tumor marker checked.
Take care!
SusieSusie, Holding off on chemo for now. After CT I met with my surgeon today.
He said I have liver infection, which I had no idea, could’ve caused marker to go up and CT was clean. So he suggested antibiotics for 3 weeks and check bloodwork again. My onc agreed to my surgeon….I think my surgeon is in charge of me(hehe). He’s very familiar with CC and experienced surgeon so I’m okay with that. I was all worked up about chemo and reading about it for hours, I think I might get some sleep tonight.
Thank you everyone for your inputs and kind words……LeeAnn
Hi LeeAnn,
My daughter, Lauren, has a power port. It was really sore when she first got it for quite a while. Now it is ok. It still gets sore sometimes. She has always been really sensitive around her collar bone area so maybe that is why it hurts. She gets Gem/Cis through the port. She always uses numbing cream before it is accessed. She only got hurt the first time it was accessed when the dumb lady in the lab stuck the needle under her port on the side and it hurt like heck. From that time on, she always asks the person accessing her port if they know what they are doing!! I am sure you will do great.
-Pam
LeeAnn,
Are you scheduled for the port placement before the scan? If I remember correctly, it hasn’t been confirmed you have recurrence yet? Just an elevated tumor marker?
Best Wishes,
SusieDad had a PICC for the first 2 months (grrrr) and thursday was his first round of chemo (FOLFIRINOX) with the port. he is so much happier without that infection risk dangling from his arm. he was pretty sore last week, and itchy from all the tape, but he’s much, much happier with the port.
I kept forgetting to numb mine before using it. All I ever felt was the initial stick and then a little pressure while the port was accessed. So if you forget, it isn’t that bad.
I didn’t get my port until half way thru my chemo and I really regret not having gotten it sooner. So much easier and it spares your veins. One nurse told me that she thought that people should all be born with ports!
Just remember to numb it before chemo and you’ll be fine.Best Wishes
-Randi-I have a power port, and love it! No problems yet. I do use cream to numb it before I go in for my treatments. It really helps, I don’t feel anything.
I didn’t have a port put in, and with the Gem/Cis combo via IV so far have had no issues whatsoever. Some want the port, some don’t, and my oncologist said we can start without it and see how you handle the IV. 2 weeks ago, the Gemzar slightly irritated me for about 3-4 minutes, then it went away. I have a big vein on my forearm that they have used 3x (being used right now as I type this) and the regular veins on the top of my arms 2x, the discomfort was the top veins. I think the weightlifting that I do helps ‘thicken’ my veins as they start to pop out as the weight training works on the muscles. That’s my excuse or reason for good veins, I’m sticking with it!!!
I love my port. I was getting gem/ox and it burned thru regular i.v. I also had about 10 i.v.s in the hospital. Averaged 1 a day. My veins kept collapsing, etc. Nothing but problems. So I got the port.
It makes everything so much easier. It is a power port so I use it with CT scans, etc. So I only get stuck for blood tests. And if I’m at my one onc’s office, they access the port for the blood test, too. It’s made my arms and hands so much happier.
I’m lucky, too. My port doesn’t really show so I haven’t had to hide it. Unless someone knows it’s there, no one seems to notice.
You do have to have it flushed. My onc says every 6 weeks. I guess it depends on the brand of the port.
And it will make you more prone to infections. I’ve had a couple of blood infections since this all started and my onc says it might be because of the port.
But I still think it was worth having it put in. It hurt for a couple of days but more than anything, it is giving my veins a chance to heal.Kris
My wife experienced quite a bit of pain the first few days after her port went in. She had to take Tylenol on a regular basis. Once the surgery site healed, the port has been trouble free.
The most common chemo drugs go through port:
Gemcitabine
Cisplatin
Oxaliplatin
5FUOne notable exception:
Capecitabine (Xeloda)
It’s a pill that you take at home.
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IMPORTANT:
When port is not being used, it has to be flushed once a month with saline solution. If you ever go on a long break between chemo treatments, remember to arrange the flush.
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