PORT REMOVAL

Hi Many!  Is this you and not your husband?  Well hello!  I was ecstatic to get my port out.  If I could have had it out the day after chemo I would have, but I needed it for the rest of the year for Herceptin.  My thought was, I can always have another one put in. And I didn't want one more tiny plastic reminder that my cancer could come back when my brain is doing a good enough job of making me worry about this constantly. I would not worry about the surgeon's behavior and just stick with happy to get it out. In taking the port out, you have just told your cancer to go to hell and this feels good no?

I waited way too long...5 years.  Every 6 weeks a flush.  What a pain.  I would have done it 4.5 years sooner if I had it to do again.

After my year of Herceptin my Onc said I could have the port taken out, otherwise I would need to have it flushed every 6 weeks. I saw the surgeon the day of my last H and had the port taken out 2 weeks later. Glad I had it, Glad it's out.

My port has been in almost 3 yrs (Aug., 09) and will be there for another 2+ yrs - til I hit the 'Majik 5 Yrs'.



It will be a 'let down' for me when it comes out. I visualize it as my little 'Soldier/Warrior' standing guard and ready for the next battle IF/When needed. Having to have it flushed every 4 weeks (what Power Port/manufacturer says to do every 4 weeks - I stretch it by 2 -3 days as do it on about the same day every month) allows me to feel I'm still being pro-active and I get to see my PA's RN every month so I can talk to her in person about anything that might be going on.



Yes, a new port can be implanted IF needed but I don't want to go through another surgery to put a new one in. Plus to put a new one on the same side, the surgeon would have scar tissue to be dealing with from the the last one and to go to the other side would be going to the mast. side - I don't like either of those options.



Yes - my Drs were/are expecting a recurrance - actually when I hit a year post DX I was told they never thought I'd make it a year. Wrong - Aug will be 3 yrs and I'm riding NED. That was not based on Stage III but the Type - IBC.



We are each so unique in our DX and in the life we have lived to become who we are TODAY - which is on going changes. There is no 'one size fits all'. What is 'right' for me is not for all; what is 'right' for someone else may be totally 'wrong' for me.

I asked to have mine taken out the day after my final chemo. Oncologist said it was up to me, the surgeon was reluctant, but did it anyway. I never regreted it one minute. I went with the attitude that I would never need it again, and thankfully I never have. I will be five years out in 43 days! (Not that I'm counting

Just got mine out a few weeks ago. Two weeks after my last herceptin. Yep! I kept it. Such a pretty little purple power port. I have a friend that has kept hers in for 5 years. She survived stage 4 non-hogdkins lymphoma. Just like everthing else we do it's really up to us.

Just a late piping in, haven't been on the boards much lately.  When I asked my onc when I could get my port out she said as soon as I was done with chemo!  As you can see I am advanced localized bc, so I don't get that Stage III thing.  For me I was just glad to be rid of it and try to move on.  And I did get it out the week right after chemo!!!

Sharon 

April 2011 got my dx of stage IIIc.  This past April I began the testing to see if it all worked and was declared NED.  May was a stressful time and I also was gone on 2 week vacay.  Yesterday met with breast surgeon who did another clinical, sent  me to get bloodwork b/c in two weeks that sucker will be gone!

Originally i was going to keep mine in. My mda breast surgeon recommended removing it rigt after chemo during my revision surgery. My onc agreed, he said he was very optimistic! I would do what you are comfortable with. I think for me seeing it would just be an everytday reminder. They said putting a new one in is just a hassel... Not a huge deal. Hugs.