Ports:

Whether or not you know what a port-a-cath is right now, my hope is that these pages will show you how wonderful they can be, and to inspire you to either a) take your doctor's advice and get one, or b) ask your doctor why s/he hasn't mentioned getting one!

A port-a-cath is a device placed in your chest or arm for the purpose of administering chemo, IVs, or drawing blood (vascular access system). Some people have catheters such as a Groshung. Catheters are partially outside of the body, often with a tube of some sort hanging out. Ports are completely under the skin. If you have a good surgeon no one will even know its there. Mine was not visible unless you knew where to look. It was only 10.1 mm high, and 25.4 mm wide. It weighed 11 g. If you're worried about another scar, please don't. You can always have plastic surgery to get rid of a scar, but you can't have a vein transplant.

There are, of course, risks of infection. Infections and problems are RARE. Very rare. But many people who have had infections or other problems have gotten a second or third port, and would definitely recommend them to others. Your doctor will be watching you closely, and you know your body. At the first sign of trouble it will be taken care of. Without the port you will definitely have problems, if not during chemo, then later. With it you might have problems. Your doctor can provide you with a list of the potential problems (found in the Deltec port-a-cath Instructions for Use pamphlet.) You should know what they are and consider them as well as the benefits you are reading about here.

Below you will find my "letter" written when I had just gotten my port. Other letters from prior visitors to these pages follow. If you have/had a port and would like to have a letter posted, pro or con, please e-mail it to me. If you get one because of what you read here, send me a note about that as well! Good luck!

I had surgery on March 1, 1996 to have a port-a-cath installed in my chest to have future treatments in and blood removed from. So far so good. After an initial problem with my left arm being really sore from the necessity of having to cut into the chest wall, all is fine. There are some movements that used to be natural that are more difficult now (like scratching my right shoulder!), but all in all not too bad. This will be a part of my body for about 2 years, so I have plenty of time to make adjustments.

I had my first chemo in the port on Friday March 8th. Not too bad. It hurt more than I expected to put the needle in, but once it was in and going it wasn't bad at all. No burning or irritation. No need for heating pads or gel packs. The second treatment on the 15th was easier, as have subsequent treatments. It didn't hurt nearly as much to put the needle in, so we think that the first treatment just had swelling left from the surgery that caused the extra sensitivity. So, now when I go in I remember to wear a button shirt as the port needs to be accessible, the area is numbed and cleaned and a butterfly needle is inserted in the silicone section of the port (the rest of the port is titanium...I have a nifty little card to carry that tells all about it), and away we go! Everything drips directly into the port which has a tube that goes up into my neck and down to my heart. I have noticed that I feel dizzy when the stuff drips this way, but it doesn't hurt so it is better than the alternative. Everything can be dripped quicker with the port, too, so my appointments aren't quite as long anymore. That's nice.

After port:

I had my port removed May 19, 1997. I miss it already. I had to have an IV 6 weeks after my port was removed. Because my veins have disappeared since chemo, it took over 30 minutes of trying (twice) and looking before settling, again, on the inside of my wrist. This hurts a lot to do. Please do yourself a favor and get a port.

Just my .50 (hey it's MY web page!),