Hi all,
I’m Tess, newly returned to forum as have second time diagnosis of TNBC.
Having already experienced the nasty chemotherapy in 2018 my veins have hardened and inserting a cannula is very painful. So I’m having a portacath fitted 05/07 and was wondering if anyone on here experienced it.
Would love to hear your honest views and experiences. No need to sugarcoat.
Many thanks,
Tess x
Tess, I’ve had my portacath over 10 years! (Metastatic her2+). It’s fitted in my chest on the left side, near my collarbone & causes me no issues at all. It was done under local anaesthetic, no pain, just bit of pressure.
Needle prick when it’s accessed but far better than canulation & you can have numbing cream. I don’t bother, just take a derp breath.
At my hospital they commonly fit them in the arm now.
It’s lovely to have my hands free every 3 weeks & my veins good enough for other things. I guess one question for you, if yours are damaged, is will it be able to be accessed for other purposes in the hospital (sometimes oncology staff are called to do this).