Perm-a-cath

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leggo
leggo Member Posts: 3,293
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment

I'm hoping someone on the boards has had this device and can give me some info. How long did it take for it to heal completely? I'm getting quite concerned that I've had it for almost two months and I still see blood on the dressing everyday. The entrance healed fine....the exit is not. The surgeon has checked and rechecked and says it's fine, but also has no explanation for the continuous oozing. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but it is the "cuffed" one.....that the surgeon says is porous and the skin is supposed to grow in to, but for whatever reason, on the last x-ray it showed that my skin has yet to attach itself to the cuff. Any info would be appreciated.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited April 2012

    Not sure what you mean by entrance healed but exit not and still blood on dressing after 2 mths. The only time my port incision had anything over it was when I left the hospital - there was no blood on it the next day when I took it off. Surgeon said to leave it 'open', and let the sterri strips fall off when they did - there were no external stitches and the incision was about an inch long. (He did no external stitches with my mod. rad. mast. either and when he removed the dressing a week after surgery the dressing was 'clean' - no blood /no ooze - no dressing again.) Other than the visiable 'bump', I've never really known it was there.



    When my port was put in I got out of doing barn chores for 2 weeks because Hubby and Son decided that they would do all for at least that long, but 2 days after it was put in I was back riding and giving lessons.



    My port is a Bard Power Port and has been in for 2 1/2+ yrs with no problems at all but I am 'religious' about keeping it flushed monthly since end of chemo.

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  • camillegal
    camillegal Member Posts: 16,882
    edited April 2012

    Her I go gracie--are u talkin about a port--Is there a new name forit--They chane the name all the time--or something else.?

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited April 2012

    Sorry, I should have been more clear. No, not a port. It's a permanent catheter normally used for dialysis, but I am using it for plasma exchange. The entrance of the cath in the jugular healed fine but the exit (the tubes hanging out of my chest) has not yet healed.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited April 2012

    You might get better replies if you posted in the Stage IV Section.

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited April 2012

    Thanks Kicks, but I know from speaking to my onc that they don't give dialysis to Stage IV patients so I didn't want to intrude on their forum with my question.

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited April 2012

    I suggest going to the Stage IV Section because it says you're Stage IV so it would be logical there are others dealing with the same thhing.

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited April 2012

    Any nurses trained in dialysis or plasmapheresis that could give me some advice on when I can expect/or should expect this catheter wound to heal? The nurse doing mine never says anything other than "hmmm...don't know why that is". The nephrologist even ordered an x-ray yesterday to make sure the stitch was still in place and the device hadn't moved. Nephrologist says I just may be a slow healer....I know from numerous surgeries that that's not the case but I don't like arguing with doctors.

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  • leggo
    leggo Member Posts: 3,293
    edited May 2012

    bump

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