TERRIFIED of getting my port taken out - how bad is it?

Tinyfrog - Oh oh, you're out there consulting Dr. Google again.... There is always a risk of lymphedema with any blood draws or pressure readings it you've had even sentinal node biopsies. Take a look at this very informative site that some of the BCO ladies helped write.

http://www.stepup-speakout.org/

I say hooray for your HER2+ reading. Herceptin is a snap and we're lucky it's available

As for ports - I arranged to have my port placed by my BS. No interventional rads for me!!! Hope you can arrange that when it comes time to remove. I had all my blood drawn by the infusion center nurses through the port. They attached the "dangles" & cleared the lines before I went to the other departments to have CT w/contrast or MRI w/contract, etc. Then I went back to infusion for them to flush again & 'detach' me. You may have seen me write this before, but I LOVED my port. I was so grateful that docs & nurses never had to stick my arms (SNB on left and ALND on the right, so both are compromised). Now when I have blood drawn & have a huge hassle finding someone who knows how & will draw it from my foot. Same deal with two surgeries. They had to call the head nurse to start the lines in my foot because even the anesthetist couldn't do it. I do have truncal & breast lymphedema so the port was a major blessing.

And lastly for showering - get some Glad Pres N'Seal. You can wrap it around your whole chest area and nothing will get wet. No need worry about just keeping your back to the water.

I had my port installed last nite by the surgeon who did my LMX. He is an awesome surgeon, not one ounce of pain from LMX. He also knew I had never been put under or had any hospital or surgeries since my baby girl was borne 32 years ago.

Since I cant use my left arm for any pokes, etc I am concerned about them blowing the one good vein in my right. RIghtfully so, they drew blood last nite before surgery and a hematoma, plus they put the iv in the arm instead of hand so another bruise.

They did twilight sleep, felt nothing. I do have a small pain in shoulder nothing major, I have taken 2 Tyelnol after I got home last nite before sleep and took 2 this morning at 6 am to just keep any pain away.

Told to not shower for 72 hours, grrrrrrrrrrrrr and because I really need my right arm to wash my hair, dont think that will happen today.

I do live alone, hopefully tomorrow I can wash hair. Need to see if I Press and seal.

Tinyfrog - not using your surgery side arm (or both if BMX) for BPs, blood draws, or vaccinations has to do with the possibility of the procedures encouraging the development of LE (LymphEdema) post surgery.

Even if nodes were not removed, any surgery (or traumatic injury) can have an effect on the lymphatic flow, possibly resulting in LE.

Hi MinusTwo and Kicks - Thank you so much for the information. My BS said not to go on sites like these because you may only hear horror stories, but I've learned so much through this site that they haven't told me, for instance not using your surgery side arm - no one told me that.

Goincrzy8 and MinusTwo - It's amazing to hear about drawing blood from your foot. I read some articles on pubmed comparing cost/benefit of doing port placement by interventional radiology (40%), and surgery (60%). From what I learned, the quality was about equal, IR was slightly better in the study group because of the familiarity of the equipment to place it better, but IR was lower in patient care because of less clinical training, and that's perhaps where I was also failed. I met with my BS surgeon twice before my surgeries, and because of my fibromyalgia, she made a deliberate notation to give me additional painkillers/neuropathic medication to compensate, and it went really well. I had no contact with IR prior, so they made no adjustments to treatment. It was like a conveyor belt procedure. I was brought into the operating room and treated like a dead body. The two people were taping me to the table, putting a mask on my face, and covered my entire body and face with paper sheets, so that only my neck, shoulder was exposed - all the while talking over me about their weekend plans. And then I was just lying there under a heap of stuff all covered up waiting for the doctor. The only time someone said something to me, was to yell at me for scratching my nose, while waiting. I came so close during the time I was waiting on the operating table to calling it off.

The nurse, who administered the so-called sedation was this really sweet old lady, and I think she did her best. But the difference is in IR , she's just a nurse, and can't give me anything stronger. The operating room has a nurse anesthesist, who can sedate you further if needed.