Chemo port

My Breast Surgeon and Oncologist said it could come out after my last Herceptin treatment. Finished the end of November - port removed early January. Procedure took about 15 mins.

I got mine out about 4 weeks after my last chemo. I figured if I needed itagain some time down the road I would get another one but didn’t want that reminder inside of me.

santi2018, I just had mine removed. I felt similarly to you - the port was convenient, but to me it felt like a ball and chain tying me to the cancer. Anyway, my doctors assured me that if I ever need the port again, they can put it back in. I do feel better now that it's out. Best wishes to you.

I had my port removed several days after my last herceptin. I just scheduled it with surgeon--didn't know I needed to talk to my oncologist. If you are triple positive they want it in for about 2 years because of early recurrence with triple positive. I was so glad to get mine out--it hurt like hell the first week, like a horse kicked me in the chest. One thing that was really good is that my port was put in while I was under and the same for when it was taken out. None of this doctor's office thing.

My MO was ready to schedule me to have it out as soon as the Herceptin was done. I wasn't ready. Too worried about recurrence. Too many aches and pains and resolving SE's from treatment. Too worried about getting it out to just turn around and need it back.

I think I'm finally ready to get it out. It's a reminder but so are fake boobs and all the rest. It's not likely that removing it will put this is the rear view mirror or anything. But I don't need anything else that's a potential problem, either.

It definitely won't be a doctor's office thing, though. It's been in for over two years now.

I finished chemo July 2017. My MO said to keep port in for one year. Had to go for monthly port flushes at my cancer center as it was not being used. March 2018 I thought I had the flu. Went to my PCP and he said flu and put me on tamilfu. Got progressively worse and on 5th day of symptoms ended up in ER. I had severe sepsis which was caused by my port being infected with MSSA staph infection. Also my jugular where port was threaded was completely blocked by DVT blood clot and there was another DVT in my sub clavicle vein caused by the infection.. Port was removed and I was in hospital for 10 days, I had to have a PICC line inserted in my arm as I had to be on IV antibiotics three times a day at home for six weeks. I also had 90 days of daily shots of lovenox for the clots. Was sent home with an open wound as port was so infected they couldn't close the wound. It was an absolute nightmare and the port infection nearly killed me. Kicker was my infectious disease doctors said the only way port could have been infected with the MSSA was at my port flush. The nurse who did the final flush a couple of weeks before I got sick rushed it. I know this because there were two nurses in the room and the one who did the flush asked the observing nurse if she wanted her to explain the procedure and the other nurse said no I'll just watch. The nurse did the flush and the observing nurse said to her 'wow you're fast'. The nurse who did the flush responded 'yes I always have go fast as I always had to be fast with my flushes from all the years I worked with kids at and she said huge major pediatric cancer center which I won't name'. So the port I wasn't using anymore became infected at a routine port flush and almost killed me. Now the port worked great through chemo and I had no issues until I did and it was a doozy. Port infections are rare so I've been told but after what I went through i want to let people know they do happen.

I couldn't stand mine and got it removed two weeks after my last infusion.