Port uncomfortable

carols
carols Member Posts: 5
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

Hi...I'm new to the discussion boards.  I was diagnosed with BC in June.  Had Lumpectomy of R breast in July 15 and reexcision the July 30 .  Stage 2 with 8 nodes removed 1 with cancer.  Started Chemo August 21.  AC for 4 weeks taxol for 4 weeks. So every two weeks treatment.  Had a port put in.   I hate it.  Its very uncomfortable.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Will I get use to it. Its been in for 5 weeks now.  If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.  I feel Like my life sucks right now.  I'm 50 years old have 2 children who are grown and out of the house.  Haven't been back to work yet.  Its been 7 weeks now since I went out.  I don't have the energy to work an 8 hour day.  Thanks for listening.

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  • Yogi70
    Yogi70 Member Posts: 654
    edited September 2008

    Carols,

    The port will be uncomfortable until you get used to it; after a while you won't even know its there. I've had mine since the beginning of March and now I hardly notice it. I know you're feeling depressed and a little lost right now and life is sucky but you will get through it.  I just had my last chemo tx August 27, time passed before I knew it.  Hang around on these boards and read some posts.  The women (men too) are great and the support is awesome. You've come to the right place.

    Yogi

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  • Keryl
    Keryl Member Posts: 230
    edited September 2008

    Carols - look under "getting through treatment " as I had the same question about my port, though it was just put in last week. very uncomfortable.  see a few replies there as it appears it is worth the discomfort.

    I have been off work for 6 weeks also - had masectomy/SNB in july and axilla nodes removed just last week; had port put in last week also; start chemo end of September. I am your same age; two kids- one a teen, one in college. Roller coaster of emotions here 

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  • smithlme
    smithlme Member Posts: 1,322
    edited September 2008

    Carols,

    My port was an "outie" and very uncomfortable. When I moved my head, my collar bone moved under the port and it would move it. I was always aware that it was there. At night I would pile pillows up and lay on top of them to keep any weight off of it. I loved my port for chemo but I couldn't wait to have it removed!

    Chemo takes a lot out of us. Give yourself time to rest. I had to learn to give into the exhaustion and concentrate on me, for the first time in my life. Take short walks outside, even in your backyard. The change of scenery helped me a lot. I hid behind my sunglasses and scarves and concentrated on getting better, not on what others might be thinking about me...

    Linda

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  • LibraGirl
    LibraGirl Member Posts: 160
    edited September 2008

    Carols

    I had quite a bit of discomfort with my port through insertion and my first two treatments.  It wouldn't take much to make it feel like it was "pulling".  It seemed to esp. act up about a week after my infusions too.  Thankfully, it has settled down.  The last two treatments it gave me no troubles save for the skin being very sensitive (I have a very thin upper body and the port/catheter is very close to my skin and always visible).  I sometimes have to alternate the types of necklines I wear so no one spot gets too irritated.  Despite all of this, I am so glad to have had the port (I had AC chemo and start my year of herceptin next week).  My veins in my good arm are already trashed just from bloodwork and muga scan injections; I can't imagine what they would be like without the port.  Yours will settle down too.  I know it seems like just one more insult in this gauntlet, but it WILL get bettter.   BC does suck as does a lot of the treatment, but you will get tons of support here and you will get through it.  

    Michele 

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  • HeatherBLocklear
    HeatherBLocklear Member Posts: 1,370
    edited September 2008

    Yep, the port is uncomfortable and, at times, painful. It is, after all, a foreign body where no foreign body is supposed to be. However, as the women above point out, it will become less aggravating as time goes by. It's a good thing to have -- if any of that nasty AC gets on your skin, you can have a very severe reaction.

    Hang in there. This too shall pass.

    Love,

    Annie

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  • DianaT
    DianaT Member Posts: 532
    edited September 2008

    My port gave me trouble since day one, and I begged my onc to get it out.  He said no way, I have to have herceptin for a year after chemo and I was so upset.  Well I finished chemo on May 22 and kept having issues.  I kept telling the dr that it hurt and was starting to stick out of my chest.  During one infusion I showed my chemo nurse and she got the NP right away who then walked me down to radiology and I had a CT scan within minutes.  Needless to say I had my port removed and I feel so much better.  The onc was saying that I should be feeling 80% back to normal and I was not, but once my port was taken out, I have been having the best time and so much energy.  Just last week, I worked 40 hours ~ which hasn't happened since before my mastectomy in January.

    If it is more than a nuisence, and you have real pain talk to your dr, make sure it is not something more.

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  • carols
    carols Member Posts: 5
    edited September 2008

    I just wanted to thank everyone who replied.  I thought I was going crazy but obviously I'm not.  There are other women out there that have the same complaint.  My doctor keeps telling me I will get use to it.  I needed someone elses opinion who has gone through this.  Again thank you!

    Carols

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  • Springtime
    Springtime Member Posts: 5,355
    edited September 2008

    I've had mine in since July 18th (a month and a half,nearly 2 months) and it is driving me more and more bats by the say. Feels like it is hitting a nerve when I move (only pease is in bed with piled pillows!). Electical shock is what it feels like. It is not geting better! ahhh! I just finished 3 of 8 (every other week) treatmetns. I am thinking if it gets worse to ask to hae it out, and do the last 4 treatments via IV in my arm. and blood draws. I hate that too, but am thining bruises will be better than this shocking, nerve hitting port.

    Anybody feel nerve hits from their Port? 

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  • Sassa
    Sassa Member Posts: 1,588
    edited September 2008

    I had my port put in in November 06.  It was extremely uncomfortable at first until I realized that the remaining breast on that side was pulling down on the port area.

    I started wearing a bra 24/7 (sleep bra at night) and it helped a great deal.  When I had the remaining breast removed in June 07, the port discomfit disappeared for the most part.

    I still have my port because I have such horrible veins to access.  I use it for blood draws and IVs (I am done with chemo and one year of herceptin).

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