May 8, 2023
Today I went to infusion clinic and had my port flushed. A brief visit that put saline and heparin into the line to make sure that it does not get clogged or infected. Does this sound like crazy talk? It did to me way back in October of 2022.
The definition of a port according to the National Cancer Institute is “A device used to draw blood and give treatments, including intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, or drugs such as chemotherapy or antibiotics. The port is placed under the skin, usually in the right side of the chest. It is attached to a catheter the is guided into a large vein above the right side of the heart called the superior vena cava. A needle is inserted through the skin into the port to draw blood or give fluids or other treatments.”
I had my port placed about twelve days prior to my first chemo session. A quick trip to the radiology department, the procedure only took about an hour. I was given light sedation, a combination of fentanyl and midazolam, that put me out to the point that I didn’t feel a thing, and I don’t remember much. I do know that at the end of the procedure, I could heat the team talking amongst themselves even though I was incredibly sleepy.
This procedure did not hurt, but I did take the following day off just to recover from the anesthesia. Two incisions are made, at the site of the port and the site where the catheter is threaded into the vein. The picture attached to this post is me the day after my port placement At this point, both of those scars are completely faded.
I highly recommend having a port placed, especially if you have IV chemo therapy like mine where you have to go home with a pump that circulates the 5-FU through your system for 46 hours. It will save your arms from turning into bruised messes and its easier to navigate the world with the everything plugged into the port on your chest rather than an arm.
Ports are easy to maintain. I had my port flushed every time I had chemo from October to February. Post chemo, I have had my port flushed once a month. Often times, I was due for a port flush when I was already at the hospital for something else, so it has been convenient. Ports are flushed with saline and heparin, an anticoagulant, to keep the catheter clear and free of infection.
I also looked at having my port placed as an excuse to buy some new clothes! Half zip tops, cozy button down tops, tops that have the side zip to the right (thank you Athleta!) and new pajamas and lounge clothes that would accommodate the port.
Thanks to a fellow rectal cancer survivor, I learned the trick of asking for a prescription of topical lidocaine. I would apply it about an hour before my port draw appointments to make it a bit more comfortable when the needle was inserted into my port. I have had my port accessed without lidocaine, and it is not awful, in fact, it is completely tolerable. But who wants tolerable when you could have easy breezy?
In a month, I have a follow-up appointment with my oncologist and during this appointment we will discuss having my port removed. I am very grateful to my port, she was an important part of destroying this disease. But as much as I am grateful, I also am tired of looking at the outline of the port and catheter under my skin. I have always been wigged out at gliding my hand over the area of the port. I have been very conscientious of covering my port when I don’t need it. So as much as I appreciate her, I am very much looking forward to bidding her adieu.
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