Cancer Treatment Options Forum - April 19th, 2010 - 3 Comments
Does anyone know anything about chemo where they put a small tube in your chest if you are fighting cancer?
Has anyone here ever had this kind of chemo done to them where they put in a small tube in your chest if you are havng chemo and fighting cancer? What was it like? Did they knock you out to do it? How do it work?How do the doctor’ s do chemo this way?
Medical professional, doctors,nurse and medical personnel only please anser this quesion. Thank You
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Its a portacath, but you will usually hear "port". I was diagnosed about two years ago when i was 15 and they put me asleep to put it in. I thought it would hurt during the day when i moved around but honestly you dont even feel it, and you only feel a small bump when you pass your finger over the area. I personally wish I still had mine in (it was removed a few months ago), because it is a surefire hit. Without it, getting an IV is hit or miss. Also, use prilocaine and lidocane cream (you need a perscription) and a tegrederm patch because it numbs the skin. You need to put it on an hour before you are going get stuck. I miss my port…hahhaha
Yes, it is called a shunt. They are used during the chemotherapy process to make it easier to administer the chemo as a vein has already been located.
a port or "port-a-cath" is inserted in your upper chest wall (the space between your collarbone and your breast) to make chemotherapy easier and more comfortable for you.
This is a simple, same-day procedure that doesn’t require general anesthesia. You will have a chest X-ray to confirm that the port is positioned correctly. When chemotherapy is over, the port can be removed quickly in another same-day procedure.
The port is about the size of a quarter, only thicker, and will show only as a bump underneath the skin. There are several benefits to having a port:
No need to find a vein every time you receive chemo. A special needle fits right into the port, so all you feel is the stick—not the poking, prodding, and false tries in your arm. The nurse may numb the skin first with ice or a cream, to lessen any feeling at all.
A port may be especially valuable for women who might be experiencing some swelling of the arm on the side of their surgery.
The medication goes right into the main blood supply entering the heart, so it can be sent quickly and efficiently to all parts of the body.
Some types of chemotherapy can be very uncomfortable if injected into a vein just under your skin. The port avoids this potential discomfort.
Getting blood for blood tests can usually be done through the port, decreasing the number of times you need to have a vein "stuck."