I was wondering if anyone has had a problem with a portocath not working. I had mine put in 2 weeks ago, went for chemo a couple of days later but it was too sore and they thought too swollen to get the needle to sit in properly. Went for my appt last week to have bloods, tried it again. Nothing. Nada. I sat there feeling like I was going to burst into tears.
BC nurses are great, tried to keep my spirits up saying they had never had one fail yet, we’ll try again next week, etc etc. But I feel b**** doomed. The thought of going through any more surgery after 2 GA / ops in last 3 weeks is just too much on top of chemo again.
Any other experiences of this would be gratefully received.
Hi Nikki,
I was talked into having a port after they couldn’t even get blood out of my arm, I was so scared when I went to the unit. They said my veins were too narrow and not many of them , so told the port would solve all of this and be wonderful!! I also went home crying about having another op so soon. First chemo they could not access at all and I ended up in tears. They even missed the port with one attempt and stabbed right into the chest instead. So i was feeling really doom and gloom about it and eventually the first go they had to use my arm veins, which miraculously appeared after 2 lots of warming and a bucket of very hot water. I had a new type of port and they had only seen one like it before, apparently it has no guide lines on it. I was really anxious second go but 2 of them did it together, one holding it still and the other stabbing. When it is done properly it is not a big thing at all. My port hurt when it was manhandled in the first few but nothing terrible like veins, but that is due to the actual stitches and wound around it. Early on they are deeper but gradually come up towards the surface and so less between them and the outside, so hang in there each time is likely to get much better and I doubt it will ever be like a sore vein. Emotionally I think it is worse as they are coming right at your body and your instinct is to scarper!! I felt like legging it out of the unit several times. My big turning point came when I read about asking for Emla cream or similar. It is the numbing cream children have on their hands before an op. I take a tube home each time and a dressing and squirt it on about an hour or more before I have my appointment. You still feel it a bit but in the early days it helped even more. I have number 12 stab in the chest tomorrow and don’t even think about it until I get there. They still sometimes take a couple of goes before it bleeds back, depends on the quality of nurse you get! I hate ditherers who go too gently. In my area only the chemo unit can use ports so all my blood comes out my inner elbow as usual. Go and get some of the cream before your next one, it at least makes you feel more confident. Lots and lots of luck with it, I promise it really improves as the operation wound heals and you will be glad eventually. I am now at the point of having to have mine removed after the last one tomorrow. Yikes, another op and I have lost my nerve again. he says I need to be awake this time - double yikes. It will either be a sedative or I will arrive drunk as a skunk for dutch courage!!
Hugs and hang in there
Lily x
I have absolutely terrible veins which had all but packed in after Taxotere and I don’t know what I would have done without Emla as I had to get through months of Herceptin every 3 weeks. I suffered a chemo burn to my good side hand and wrist, so the Oncologists gave approval for me to have the Herceptin done on my surgery side. Emla made all the poking about with needles sufferable. I often had to have the cannula inseted into the inside of my wrist and it would have been excruciating without Emla. I’m 7 months post Herceptin and I’ve been told the vein in the crook of my right arm is thromboid on account of all the chemo. They also told me they didn’t know whether it would ever heal properly.
My oncologist only gave lines as a last result and she encouraged me to keep struggling along as long as I was able, thankfully I got to the end without the need for one as I think it would have made me really squeamish.
Thanks both, was using the cream and it certainly helped! But the good news is today it worked!! So all is well, I can stop stressing about another op and just get on with chemos now!
Just wanted to update for anyone who might be interested or is researching on portocaths.
Despite the early problems, mine is now 3 weeks of working, blood tests drawn from it at easy, if somewhat time consuming for my BC nurses to get all the kit together for!!
My first chemo will be through it tomorrow and I am expecting that to also be simple to do. I had to have needles for my CT last week, ouch, couldn’t get from my hand despite digging around in it for what seemed like an age, so had to use ‘bad’ arm but no choice really. Shame they can’t do that kind of thing through the cath.
Glad to read that your portacath is working fine now.
I also have to be canulated for my CT scans but I am aware, certainly in our hospital, that they are now putting a new portacath into patients which will withstand the pressure of the contrasting dye relating to CT scans which is good news.
Hi Nikki
hope it went well. When you hear or feel the pain of vein trouble, you know how gret the ports and lines are for most people. Hope it keeps going well for you. My little beetle is out now and looking forward to sleeping on my front again fir the first time since April. It was surreal being wide awake on the operating table with no sedative to take the reality away.
Good luck
Lily x
Hi - I had a portacath fitted and thought it was great initially. Halfway through treatment though the nurses couldn’t pull bloods from it and it began to hurt a bit. I developed a huge blood clot in the neck which was irritated by the port so eventually had it removed. Am now having Herceptin through my veins which is an ordeal and on the whole I think the portacath is a fantastic idea and when it works it is great. Will see how I go with treatment through the veins and If I can’t cope will have another port put in. Good luck