To say I am a little bit fed up would be massively under playing it.
Went to have ‘ant and dec’ cleaned as it is my week off. The nurse tried to get the hepsal? out and blood poured out of the line entry. She told the other nurse to get a Dr straight away. Poor Ian had just parked the car and walked in just as blood was gushing out and running down my cleavage! The stitches weren’t taken out last week as there was a bit of blood released after I had the dressing cleaned. I have been feeling funny all week and nearly fainted twice at the Bristol meet.
Had to go to radiography and get it checked. Dr said ‘see you soon’ so I knew I would be going back. When I returned to clinic poor Dr didn’t know how to brake it to me. I have a kink in the line, a bit like when you are watering the garden and the hose goes off and you have to twist it. Then it splashes out all over the place. Erm…
Has any one else had these problems.
OMG
Debs,…
what a pain, I am so sorry to read this post…
Feeling gutted for you.
Best wishes
Bikinggirl
Hi Debs,
I’ve not experienced this type of thing personally, but I do recall a couple of instances where portacaths have gone wrong. In one case, the line had snapped and one end was headed for the lady’s heart (she was Ok though). I believe these cases are very unusual. I’ve had my port for a good three weeks now and I must admit my hand keeps straying to the site of it after reading your post.
When I had taxol, more than two years back, I had a Hickman line, which was fine, though not so easy to ignore as a port. It needs flushing in the same way as a port and I think you can have them for a good length of time (forget how long I had mine). The risk of infection is higher from a Hickman than a port but apart from that it was very little trouble. I had to take daily warfarin for the Hickman but am not having it for the port.
Could they not insert a new port for you, on the other side maybe? I am sure that they can be replaced and if I had the choice, having experienced both, I would go for the port every time. You must be well-peeved as, even though the port placement is relatively straight-forward, it is still an invasive procedure which I found to be quite stressful. To have it go wrong so soon after sounds just horrid.
Jennyx
Thanks to you both, I have a dressing on the right side where the port was removed, I still have an open wound the size of a 20p that is still being plugged and dressed by District nurse. The left hand side is where the hickman line is and that has a dressing on it as well. I look like I have been target practice for some useless hit man. So on Tuesday I will have the hickman lines removed and they want to put a new one in on the right hand side! I will look like a patch work quilt. As I am on avastin wound healing is a problem but I think 3 holes is just too much to cope with. Plus I feel really weak, I don’t do weak.
Love Debsxxx
Hi,
just noticed your post about your plumbing, poor you. I had a port for 28 weeks of chemo as veins let me down on the first day and disappeared south - I think they knew what was coming! My port did not close one time and went to the loo and noticed a red stream going down my cleavage. They then pressed it very firmly for ages and yoweee. It must have been very scary for you, I wa scared enough with a trickle and anxious the next time they used it, but that was fine.Did you have to have the port removed under a local? I did and found it painful and an unpleasant experience. I also had a central line, which they removed.
My line did move a few months before that and appeared in the side of my neck just above the collarbone, I thought it was something worse.
Anyway hope you are recovering from that horrible experience. My chest looks like I had a run in with Zorro!
Big hugs for Tuesday to get things sorted out better for you
Lily x
ah debbs so sorry to hear about your trouble ,seems you are really going through it at the moment lets hope they can sort it out for you asap ,must be really frustrating for you .anyway looking forward to out next meetup ,take care lynn xx
Debs - can’t believe it. Thought I was the only person this happened to!! I just can’t believe what ***** luck you have.
My hickman line got twisted on the way in when the inexperienced reg tried to do it but the senior bod got it untwisted but I suppose that was at the insertion so they still had the guide wires in. I was wondering if they could try to untwist it instead of taking it out as your healing is so poor, it might not have stuck to any tisue/skin/etc yet. Is it worth asking that?
great to meet you last week.
Hope all goes well this week.
Katex
Hi Debs,
Have never had a line or portocath so can’t help there but so sorry to hear you’re still going through it with the lines. It sounds scary and I really hope your luck improves soon and that you will feel better soon - not great to happen on your week off chemo so I can understand how hacked off you must feel.
I fainted at my scan on Fri as the guy missed my first vein so I know what that feels like.
Take care Debs and hope it all gets sorted for you soon.
Anne xx
Debs, I didn’t realise you were feeling faint at the Bristol meet, I’m so sorry. This all sounds a nightmare for you, I have no experience of any ports or lines either but really hope they can get it sorted out quickly for you.
Lesley xx
Lesley, that is the problem with celebrities you are so used to people fainting at your feet!
It is a strange feeling like oops I think I am going to keel over and a couple of deep breaths sorted it out I just thought I was a bit giddy meeting up with everyone. Did not realize it was because the kink in the line is near my heart valvy thing. Not looking forward to Tuesday, they are taking the hickman line out and I don’t want more dressings until the portacath ‘Blinking Eye’ has healed. Looks like Zorro has been at me as well.
Kate … it was the main man that did this but he had such a fight to get the line in.
Thanks for all your comments.
Love Debsxxx
Hi Debs
Sorry to hear of your port and line problems. Hope they are able to sort things out for you.I haven’t got any wise words as my port has been very well behaved, a rare example of good luck!
Love Kathryn
Hi Debs
Sorry to hear about your problems with the line - you and lines/ports really doesn’t seem to work well does it? Not fair at all.
Hope all goes well on Tuesday though for you.
K
Hi everyone,
well today was the day ant and dec were pulled from the comfort of my left breast.
The lady Dr came to explain what she was going to do and said it was an anticlimax. I looked at Ian and he looked at me.I said ‘I hope she hasn’t jinxed it’
She gave me the local said it would be like a sting, didn’t feel a thing, after a short wait she cut into my flesh, no pain. Then the pulling and shoving began. At one point I said one of my many swear words and she asked could I feel her? The sweat was running down my face and she had another go. I almost raised to the ceiling, at this point she gave me more local, then she sent for another Dr. Still fiddling in the hole but not painful she said she could not find the collar. By this time the other Dr had arrived she explained and he said to the nurse ‘hold her down with your arms around her neck’ He was onlt joking and he walked away with a very bloody ant and dec. Lady Dr was not impressed and looked furious. I got dressed thanked her and asked if it was the anticlimax she had anticipated?
Love Debsxxx
Debs
I absolutely cannot believe this saga, how awful for you to have all this on top of the chemo etc, its too much, what an awful hassle, wish i had some constructive suggestion.
cathyx
Oh Debs how horrible. I was terrifed of having my Hickman put in because I had such dreadful pain when having a biopsy on a neck tumour…I screamed like there was no tomorrow…guess what I’m trying to say is kindof know how horrible it must have been today for you.
Ghaslty ghastly all of this.
Jane x
Debs, poor poor you! I don’t know where you had the line put in but I think they need a bit of education. I used to assist with this procedure, my job was to make sure the patient was receiving enough IV sedation so that it was a pain free procedure. Most people didn’t even remember it afterwards. They did have local analgesia as well, but that is not enough. Take care of yourself
Best wishes Jilly
The hospital have me booked to have a new Hickman line put in on Friday, same side where I have all the damaged tissue from radio therapy and where the heart valves are. As the pain is still with me and I have two dressings one on each side, there is no room for another one. I have just phoned them to say I don’t want it done.
Thanks for all your comments I am so envious of all those with lines and ports, oh well it’s back to hunt the vein!
Love Debsxxx
Like the picture Jane.
Oh Debs,just read what you went through yesterday. You poor thing - it sounds dreadful! I’m not surprised you don’t want another line put in and just hope that your veins behave themselves!
Thinking of you and thanks for your lovely comments.
Anne xx
What a complete nightmarish fiasco, Debs. Nothing I can say really except take care and thinking of you. Kay x
Oh for goodness sake Debs, why on eart didn’t you hit her over the head with one of your many shoes! Sounds bloody awful, an I do feel for you. wait till everything hel and then see where you are, but I think you are right, now is not the time for poking about!
Take care mate, and I didn’t realise you felt ill at Bristol, you must think us very insensitive. I’ve also just found your card so i will be semdimng you an e mail