The porta cath procedure is uncomfortable but livable. I'm used to (and spoiled by) Mayo and I kept focusing on Abbott's stained ceilings, weathered nurses, very young doctors and the disorganized feel of everything.
The picture is the "Power Port" porta-cath device, or one identical to it, anyhow. It's about the size of a thumb. The long white tube was threaded into an artery in my neck, and the big purple thing is under the skin near my right collarbone.
Once the incision heals, it will be completely invisible beneath the skin. The domed area is where the needles and IVs go, and the 3 bumps can be felt through the skin to orient the needle. Infection is the biggest risk now, and I'll need to watch it closely for the next week or so.
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That's crazy and cool at the same time, though "threaded into an artery" O.O Yay for not having to poke at veins! "Installed" indeed. :-)
Sorry I hadn't caught up when I called earlier! Wow, that's kinda cool, kinda ooky. Like Tina said.
See you tomorrow!
While having the port is really convenient and great for getting hooked up for treatment and bloodtests, it can still sometimes hurt a bit when they put the needle in, especially after having chemo for a while. If they haven't already mentioned it, you may want to ask your care team if you can get a tube of the numbing cream Emla. You put it on the skin 20 to 30 minutes before treatment and it numbs the area nicely. Not to say that you're a wimp. I became one very fast when it came to pain and I found it was nice to not have to worry about one less pain. Especially if it was a 2 or 3 day chemo week.
I also started making jokes about how my port side had changed from left to right. Yeah, dumb I know, but it made me feel intelligent that I could come up with something obscure when I couldn't keep a thought in my head for more than 3 seconds.
Mary Rohe
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