What are the signs of port infection?

LeesaD · March 2018

I had my port placed May 2017 for chemo. No issues at all and worked wonderfully. My MO wants to keep it in a year. I started feeling crappy last Tuesday night and thought it was the flu. Severe shivering, fevers as high as 102.6 and being controlled with Tylenol and Advil. Saw my PCP and he put me on Tamiflu whih I've been on since Thursday and I'm not getting better. No cough no runny nose. Just fevers achiness severe shakes and severe sweating. My PCP did a rapid flu test today hat cause came back negative but he said it could be a false negative and he is treating me as if the flu. He did not check the port as I didn't even mention it to him as I didn't even think about it.

Now the port where they stick the needle is fine but the end of the catheter the skin is very red and I think there's a little lump there. Beginning to think this definitely not the flu and an infection as it's been 6 days ! Tamiflu doing nothing. Can someone please tell me your signs when your port got infected? My Pcp did not do blood work. Thank you so much.

sbelizabeth · March 2018

LeesaD, once, when my port had been flushed and I was driving home, I was suddenly very ill. High fever, aches, and some skin on my chest was bright red. This was the first time I'd been affected by this and I thought I had the flu, too, but was puzzled by the red skin and lack of cough, sore throat, or other symptoms of flu. I didn't consult my doctor, and gradually recovered over 3-4 days.

Months later, after every surgery for my reconstruction revision, I started getting bright red cellulitis in the exact same places. Each time I has hospitalized for days on IV antibiotics.

Now, looking back over the sequence of events, I'm convinced that my port had been colonized with bacteria and that flush pushed it into my bloodstream and caused an initial systemic infection that receded and quietly lurked. Then it flashed to the surface again when surgical wounds were created.

The point of this story is to recommend you see your doctor again, explain what's going on with your port, and ask for blood work. A bacterial infection will reveal findings different from influenza. If you need antibiotics, better sooner than later! Gentle hugs, and good luck!

LeesaD · March 2018

Thank You sbelizabeth for your response. After posting this morning I called the onco on call and she sent me to ER. My jugular where the port is threaded through is completely blocked with DVT blood clot and I have another partial clot further down my neck. I get my port flushed regularly and I'm actually scheduled tmrw. Being admitted. Another lovely gift from this awful disease.

KBeee · March 2018

I just was going to post that you should go to the ER because port infections can go straight to your central circulation since it's a central line. I am glad you did that. I'm surprised your PCP did not think of it, but given the short amount of time they have with patients nowadays, it's not surprising. No one can know everything. I am glad you followed through and are getting treatment. Sorry you're dealing with this. DVT blood clots are scary.

BellasMomToo · March 2018

LeesaD: Sorry to hear about your DVT, but glad it was identified and can now be treated. I also had a DVT near my port. It caused my left arm to feel heavy and swell, but my port still functioned properly. I was put on blood thinners, first Lovenox (injections) then Eliquis (pills). Once I finished my year of herceptin I had my port removed and stopped the blood thinners.

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

LeesaD · March 2018

Thank You KBeee and Bellasmomtoo. I cannot even believe that this has happened. I have sepsis (MRSA), two blood clots and severely infected port. They removed the port yesterday and couldn't even close the wound as it was so infected. I've been on iv antibiotics for days now and my infectious disease best buddies just told me that after I get released, I will be on SIX weeks of iv antibiotics at home. Unfreaking real that something I wasn't even using anymore (the port) could come very close to killing me. If I had ANY idea at all this was even a possibility I would've had the port taken out when I finished chemo last July. And the kicker is they said the bacteria had to have been introduced at my last port flush😳. Warning to those with your ports in and not being used take them out. It is NOT worth the risk. I'm furious that I am

dealing with this. Will be in hospital for days still. The one year anniversary of my BMX was yesterday and it was unreal that I am in same exact hospital I was a year ago to the day.

sbelizabeth · March 2018

Oh, LeesaD, I'm so sorry! What a pain in the tucas! But I'm glad you're being treated aggressively. Stomp those clots, kill the bugs. Did your wound culture out MRSA or are they guessing? Did they draw blood cultures at the hospital that grew anything? Frequently blood cultures won't reveal anything, even when sepsis is severe.

I had given thought to keeping my port for a bit because my doom-and-gloom onc radiologist wanted me to keep it forever. But my physician son advised me to yank it just because of the ongoing infection risk. I know many women keep theirs for years, though. No thanks. It was a flush of a bacteria-colonized port that made me fixing-to-die sick.

I did home antibiotics four times a day for weeks too. It wasn't bad. I had a PIC line in my upper arm and they sent me home with a bunch of tennis-ball shaped things that were loaded with antibiotic solution, like this:

Image result for home antibiotics IV ball

My hubs really got into it. I'm a nurse, but I didn't dare touch my PIC line at home because he loved the plumbing of the whole thing. Flush the line with saline, plug in the tennis ball, wait 45 minutes, unplug the tennis ball, flush with heparin. I even took a tennis ball thingy to work so I could do a mid-day infusion at my desk.

You can do this. It's just a bump in the road. I can barely remember all that hoo-ha now. If I can help in any way at all, please PM me. Gentle hugs!

LeesaD · March 2018

ThankYou sbelizabeth for the words of encouragement. My husband sounds like yours, ready for the challenge. Thanka for the photos. Everyone is talking about the tennis ball thing and now I have a visual.

Yes they've done the cultures and have been narrowing it down and taylorimg the antibiotics accordingly. Tuesday we were told MRSA and today they said now it's narrowed to something he called MRSA's ugly half brother whatever that is. My fever finallly down for first time in 9 days. Now I have to wait for cultures to be clear for 48 hours before they put pic line in. Started Lovenox injections yesterday.

They left my wound open so I'm concerned about going home with an open wound. This has been hell and all I would is another infection. I've voiced my fears. I'll still be here a few days so hoping paring the wound specialists can sort it out before I go home.

Thank You again sbelizabeth. Your words are very encouraging and I may take you up on the pm's if I need you. So appreciated.

sbelizabeth · March 2018

Leesa, ask your wound specialist about a wound vac. It can encourage and hasten closure of an open wound. I had one for a few weeks and it got the job done. It's a system of barrier foam, cut to fit the wound exactly, with suction applied. You have to carry around a device about the size of a Grape Nuts cereal box while the wound heals, but worth it. OK to shower and go to work with it too.

What are the signs of port infection?

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