Port Question

exbrnxgrl

smichaels,

Yes, I still have my port and rarely think about it and it will be 9 years old very soon. If you read my signature line you will see that I am stage IV. Although I am not now nor have I ever been on IV chemo (long story), it’s become a bit of a good luck charm. I am not superstitious in general but there is a part of me that believes if I have it removed, then my long period of NEAD will end. Not rational thinking, but even my mo is willing to indulge me!

LaughingGull

As a swimmer, I want to reassure that you absolutely can swim with your port. I did it for a year. I swam on my own, at a slow pace, during the chemo months, then resumed swimming in my masters swimming team once chemo and surgery were over, and I even attended an open water swimming competition that year, all with the port.

It was a very, very, slow year, in terms of swimming pace, but swimming helped me a lot physically and mentally, and I totally recommend it.

Take care of yourself and reach out for help with worry/depression/anxiety. I know I would be furious if anybody close to me minimizing the ordeal. Furious.

Smichaels11

Thank you so much for this. I am not a competitive swimmer, but I enjoy the pool and teaching my son to swim. Both sets of my boyfriends parents have pools and its just become a summer familiarity. I recognize that cancer may take a lot away, but anything I can hang onto for normalcy is important to me right now.

MinusTwo

smichaels - get some anxiety meds. You are certainly at a point where they will help - and you don't need to be in a panic every day in addition to a boyfriend who hasn't a clue and a young child. I can't believe any of your docs would refuse. Some take Ativan. I had Xanax, but used sparingly. And yes - I also drank but not at the same time as I took drugs.

Smichaels11

When picking up pre-chemo meds, the doctor included lorazepam (Ativan) and I've taken it twice so far. It certainly takes the edge off. My boyfriend even commented that for the first time in weeks I am more myself. I still didnt sleep all night, but a solid 4 hours. At this point, I'll take it.

SpecialK

Double check the lorazepam prescription for how many you received and how many refills. I was given a prescription to take as my third line anti-nausea med (first line was Zofran, second was Compazine) and it was a limited number with limited refills because it was just for that purpose. If you would like to take Ativan for any anxiety I think most oncologists will prescribe it based on what I have seen here over 10 years - plus, it is a totally legit approach, but you would likely need a longer duration order and a conversation with your doc about using it for that purpose. My concern would be that you don't have enough available if you need it for anti-nausea. For me, Zofran was useless and gave me a wicked headache, but the Compazine worked like a charm so I never used the Ativan. The anti-nausea meds are usually prescribed in multiples for this reason, and can be taken on top of each other (you don't have to wait to take the next if the first is not working) because they use different mechanisms to stop nausea.

ElaineTherese

I used Ativan as a sleep aid during the steroid days of chemo. But, my doctor was really stingy about prescribing it (only gave me 15 a month) because she didn't want me to become dependent on it for sleep. Special K is right; if you want to use it for anxiety, you should talk to your doctor about it and ask that it be prescribed accordingly.

I never actually used my anti-nausea meds because chemo didn't make me nauseous. I did, however, get some really bad heartburn after my first round of AC.

Smichaels11

Oh good call! I mentioned my anxiety level to the oncologist and the prescription states "take 1 every 6 hours or as needed for anxiety." I will follow up with her just to make sure! There aren't any refills on it, but there are 30 in the bottle.

Smichaels11

I wanted to come back and say my port surgery was successful. I wasn't put under but definitely drugged up enough not to care. I have a small incision at the bottom of my neck and another at the top of my right breast. I've got some good chest meat there, lol, so no noticable bump. Definitely sore, but the strangest part is I can feel a pulling sensation when I eat. Wasn't expecting that.

My son spent the last few days at his grandma's house since I've been frazzled and really needed the ability to burst into tears when I needed to. He came home today and we told him, age appropriately, about what is going on with me. He took it well, mostly because he doesnt understand mortality. But I think that's a good thing. We never said cancer, just a sickness, so I actually think he might believe I have Coronavirus

ElaineTherese

Good news! Different people have different experiences with ports; my biggest peeve is that it can set off the machines used at airports to scan you for security purposes. Five year olds don't need the details. He'll be fine.

cyathea

Smichaels11, so good to hear the port surgery went well.