Should I Get a port?

[camhunt]

Should I get a port?  My nurses every month are having to stick me 3 to 4 times to start my medicine?  They are telling me my veins are rolling and it is getting harder to start me every month.

[HVAC]

I have never had trouble with 1.5 tesla MRIs. I might have had a three for my breast. I have to get them for MS and my breasts. May be stronger MRIs are a problem. Many of the MRI places do not do ports. I am at Duke and they often use my veins. I had one lady who did not know what she was doing and she missed the port and put the needle in my chest so you want people who access ports all the time.

Alex

[karryon55]

I also have not had any problems with my port and as I said before it changed my life. There are things to consider in regards to MRI and the port being metal. I can have a 3 tesla MRI (no higher) but I am pulled out for breaks as it heats up pretty quickly. They have said to me that it's lucky I don't have any more metal inside of me or I couldn't have an MRI but I'm not sure how true this statement is.

In regards to what Alex said about not all nurses willing or able to access the port...this is the case for me a lot. I go to my main hospital and there are no problems but if I just need blood taken or have an MRI somewhere else they will not use the port. It's always been that way and I have been really frustrated about this issue. I am always having to get it accessed in one hospital and then get to another hospital for whatever I'm having done & then you get the fact that one hospital doesn't like dealing with another's work lol. Crazy but it happens a lot.

I've been for an MRI and they try between my knuckle ontop of my finger first to get the contrast in me as the kit to put it into my port costs about $50 and they have to get a doctor down from oncology to access it as I'm in a different hospital. They also don't carry the kits and my port is not common at this hospital so they're hard to come by so it's always difficult having an MRI for me. When they've tried several times they call the oncology to access the port & this is very typical for me.

So yes a port has changed my life but there are lots of things to consider.

Good luck.

Karry

[HVAC]

I have had two ports the first one was to close to the skin and bothered me. The second is a low profile one. It is still a power port but it is slimmer. I have had no medical issues and I have a compromised immune system. I even swim in the ocean with it. I would make sure where you get your infusions the nurses are trained to access a port. Not every where is. Even ERs sometimes will not access them. I had a friend with cancer who had one but they used her veins because the nurses did not want to mess with it.

Alex

[essdipity]

I can't comment from any personal experience, but as Karry says, this is a big decision involving risk as well as reward. You really need to talk this over thoroughly with your doctor. If the port is needed only once a month (Tysabri?) then it sounds like the problems might outweigh the benefits.

ess

[karryon55]

I eventually got a Power Port 3 years ago but this was after I had been having PICC lines in for extended periods and also some central lines which were not ideal for someone with Neutopenia.

I have always had difficult veins but when I had nothing to use on my arms even after several tries they were putting PICC lines in and then when they couldn't get a PICC in they would go with a central line. It eventually came to a situation for me because it took the docs 4 hours in ICU to get in a PICC line in which they said would have to be replaced by a port in my chest prior to it to even be considered being removed.

That last PICC line caused me PE/Pulmonary Embolisms because I had so many old clots from pulling out previous PICC lines that they were trying to break them up but unfortunately some got away into my lungs. This meant I had to go on blood thinners for an extended period of time. In the end the cardiologist had to thread the port line through my existing PICC line as my veins were no more.

So all that said & done I really don't recommend you go through all of that lol. I guess it depends on the fact they are still getting veins & where they are putting the cannula each time. I have been sick the vast majority of my life so it was always normal for me to have had multiple tries for veins but I soon learnt where my viens were & to have a hot pack on them before any cannulation was attempted.

I am saying all of this because there are risks & maintenance involved in having a port. You will have to be thoroughly assessed for any risk factors of blood clotting disorders & see a Cadiologist first. I have to go in every 4 to 6 weeks and have mine flushed with saline & replace the heparin if it hasn't bern accessed.

So after all the assessing has been done and if they recommend one for you I can say they are great because now I always have a line available in my body for emergencies like Neutropenia. When it was implanted it did take a few months for the tenderness to subside. I recommend that you can have it put in an area where it's not noticeable & for me my Cardiologist put it in my upper breast so I can wear most tops without it being seen. I have two 3 to 4cm scars.

If you want anymore info please ask. I highly recommend them & it changed my life as PICC lines are exposed lines hanging outside of the body for all to see & have to be dressed every week. You also can't get a PICC wet in the shower whereas once a Port needle is removed you can swim, bathe etc as normal.

Take Care,

Karry