Seeing onc in a few weeks time and it’s back on navelbine for me. Trying to decide whether to have iv, 15 min infusion, one blood test but tricky on veins, or capsules- 2 capsules day one, and 2 capsules day 8 with two blood tests and feeling a bit yuk for a couple of days each time. The plus side is im hospital free for two weeks out of three with iv. Any ideas?
X Sarah
Bump
Sorry, got no experience so no advice but thought I’d bump you.
If you think you might prefer IV have you asked/thought about port?
I’m having portacath fitted in a couple of weeks for my zometa coz search the vein geting too much!
Hope you can make an informed choice and all goes well xx
Julie made the point I was going to make. I have a portacath which I’ve had for 6 x FEC and am in the middle of Herceptin for primaries, and it’s been brilliant. If you’re looking at ongoing treatment, a portacath is really the way to go as it can stay in position for 5 years or so, and has a much lower risk of infections than a PICC or Hickman and is a lot less intrusive.
hi choccie, just wanted to pick your brains. They’ve given me some emla cream and plastic plasters to put on to numb area however I find I get quite sensitive to those types of things so does putting the needle in the port hurt or could I manage without numbing? I’m a mets girl and they did say, as you do, that the port can stay in for years, so I’m hoping for many years use!!
Hope you’re feeling well at the moment xx
Hi JulieD
Just seen your post. Whilst I have no experience of the treatments mentioned as I have been lucky to only need treatment for primaries (chemo, surgery, rads and 12 months Herceptin) I can rave about my port. I have had all my treatment through it. I was also given the Emla cream and plasters. I don’t use the plasters but put the cream on when I remember and it is great for numbing the area. However it doesnt hurt inserting the needle even when not numb, so don’t worry on that score.
I am having my last Herceptin next week and will be having the port removed the week after. Ironically my port scar is my largest scar, much larger than my WLE.
Sam
I have had my port in now for 6 years and have never needed to use numbing cream - I don’t even feel it going in or out! There has never been any talk of it needing to be replaced after 5 years.
Sarah asked me on her other thread about navelbine - if you had the infusion on day 1 & 8 but as I had it in 2003 I can’t remember - perhaps one of you who have had it can answer that?
Dawn
xx
Sam, same as you for the scar. When I saw my surgeon, sat stripped naked to the waist with her looking at me from ten feet away, I was terrified by the concerned look on her face. “What’s up?” I said.
“Just look at that,” she said. “I take all that care to give you a good cosmetic effect on that side [pointing to my almost invisible WLE scar] and they go and do THAT on the other side! [pointing at portacath scar].” Big sigh of relief!
I am a wuss and ask for Ametop (Emla) and stick it on. Other people don’t bother. The cream works very well if it’s on for a couple of hours, but I can still feel the needle sometimes. But it’s not any worse than having a blood test, and probably loads better than having the nurses digging around in your hand for a vein (can’t say for sure as I’ve never had that, thankfully).
ChoccieMuffin,
It’s better than digging around for veins, believe me. Had to have my first chemo that way and boy, did it hurt.
Had the same reaction from my surgeon too re my portacath scar. So much so, that when I have it taken out, he is going to do it and do a cosmetic job on it as well. He says that he can make it as good as the WLE scar which is invisible now.
S