I have useless veins and due to lymph node removal I can only have jabs in one arm so I have had been advised to have a Portacath inserted. I am booked in for next week but have just been looking at some photos and bogs and am just feeling a bit icky about it - anyone got anything to reassure me. Following 2 operations already I don’t know why I am suddenly feeing queezy about this!
I’ll try my best to reassure you! I have a port - have had it for 20 months now - and it is fabulous. Like you, I had dreadful veins and only one “usable” arm, but the port has made life so much simpler.
I had mine fitted under local anaesthetic with sedation, but I know some hopsitals use a general anaesthetic. I am not a brave person, and flinch at any pain, but the procedure was very quick and straightforward, and all I really remember is chatting to the surgeon and then looking at the pretty patterns made by the ceiling tiles(!).
There are various types of port, and mine is a powerport, which means that it can also be used for the contrast for CT scans.
Usng the port is usually very simple too. I have heard of some hospitals which use Emla cream or similar to numb the area, but I have never used it, and don’t feel the need to. It’s hard to explain, but the process of accessing the port just feels much less of an ordeal than trying to access a vein. The port has a metal back, and the short needle goes straight in with no “fishing around” like there sometimes is when trying to find a vein. I also find that I often don’t feel anythng at all when they take it out, not like when a cannula is removed.
I can fully recommend having a port, and wish you all the best with yours.
Jx
i have picc line in which was put in last tue i dont no if same procedure was quick .i am just getting like a dull ache now bit of swelling and brusing but once that goes down im sure i will find it a lot easier …like u i hated the thought i even ran out the chemo clinic and my mom and nurse calmed me down .im sure u will b fine .im te biggest wuss goin when it comes to needles .good luck it will b best for you in long run xxx
Ive had my port for 12 months. Its been fantastic. Im a real needle phobic and after three cycles of FEC my veins packed up. (4 attempts for a cannula on cycle 3.) I decided then and there I wasnt going through that again. I had my port fitted 2 weeks later under local anaesthetic without sedation (as this meant having another cannula! No thank you!). No pain at all going in, just a bit of pressure. I must admit, when the local wore off later it was painful, but after about 24-36 hours this subsided. Painkillers helped. Its been the best thing ever, since my diagnosis. Ive just completed 18 Herceptins and couldnt have managed wihout it. And Im now at the stage where Ive got to decide whether to have mine removed!!! EEEK!!! I feel safe with it in. Just in case. But on the other hand, it would be nice to have my body back and not have a constant reminder of everything thats happened.
Go for it. You wont regret it at all. In between treatments I forget all about mine. You cant see anything only a tiny scar where it was put in and a slight lump under the skin, that I dont think anyone else would notice.
Mandy x
I’ve had my power port for 5 months now and don’t regret it at all. I have bad veins too and it was such a struggle to get blood out or chemo in before I got it. It was put in under a general and I use Emla cream and hour before the needle and all I can feel is a little pressure. I would definitely recommend it.
Kat
Yup, what the others said. EMLA cream is great, so ask your chemo unit for a tube ready for next time so you can put it on yourself an hour before your appointment. Makes the whole thing a lot more civilised. And also a very good idea to get it put in before your first chemo. I did that, after doing lots of research, and I am SO glad I did. Very happy with it. Yeah, I know it means another small scar but hey, at least I don’t have junkie veins and the trauma of cannulas. Last Herceptin next week, and then I’ll have to think about having it removed… don’t really want to lose it now, I’ve become quite attached to it!
Thank you guys - bit less wobbly now. Don’t quite know why this has been the issue that has feaked me out most - guess it is because I have a choice about this but didn’t with the others.
Well Portacath is in - ouch! Woke up from surgery with the shakes and in more pain than with the other two operations. Went home though and managed to convince them to prescibe me Tramadol to have at home so am coping with the pain. Now just need to recover from 3rd GA in 2 months and then get on with Chemo. Glad to have it in though as veins were difficult as usual yesterday and wont need to worry about that all through Chemo. Thanks for all the support
Well done, and best of luck. It WILL settle down in a little while, and you’ll find you forget all about it.