Newbie port question

Hi Nancy!  I wear either a tank top(and take a sweater because sometimes you get cold) or a button up blouse so you can just unbutton one and they can access the port.

Good luck on your surgery to put in the port.

Gentle hugs,  Birdlady

Nancy,

As long as what you wear can easily be pushed aside or unbuttoned to access your port then no worries about wearing anything different than usual. Just avoid the turtlenecks

Caryn

PS: my port is in the little hollow where my shoulder meets my chest, so it is quite far over and regardless of what I've worn, still easily accessible.

I wore either a scouped or v-necked long sleeved pullover amd a zip hoodie as it was winter and I was always cold.  The facility I went to had snacks for you, soup, fruit, crackers, juice, herb teas.  They had warmed blamkets for you.  Each cubicle was private - the ones with a reclinner had a drape across rhe front that you could have left open or closed as you wahted it, the ones with beds in them were glass fronted.  All had individual thermastat controls though obviously the drape front ones did not give you quite as much control over the temperature as the glass front ones.  Each had it's own cable TV and a chair for anyone who might accompamy you. With A/C, I had a recliner cubicle, with Taxol I had a bed.  A/C was not bad at all and the oral benadryl had no 'sleepy' effect on me but with Taxol, I had IV benadryl and within seconds of it being given, I would go 'nighty night'  until about 20 mins before emd of infusion and would wake up just as abruptly as I'd go to sleep.  I was also havimg more problems with temperature  during Taxol so the glassed room made it easier to keep it up.

They had numbing spray for accessing it and it worked quite good - just a slight pin prick.  Accessing without an numbing HURTS BAD - at least for me.  Long story -won't go into, I had to have it accessed once without any numbing and it REALLY HURT.   In the 4 1/2+ yrs since end of chemo, I have been using EMLA (generic) cream for my monthly flushes.  For me, my max. effect is between 1/2 hr and an hour.  The effects start wearing off after an hour.  Using the 'Saran' wrap not only helps it work but also prevemts it from getting on clothes.  With the cream, all I feel is a slight pressure.

We are each unique and our facilities have different ways of doing things but you will learn your facility and what works best for you.

Nancy,

For me, yes, the feeling it in the neck and the pain at the implant site went away during the five mos. of chemo. I want to say it took a couple of weeks.