Any other Power Port patients here?

[Chelee]

I have that newer Bard Power Port that "they" talked me into. I have no veins left so as you all know the Power Port can handle the contrast in PET/CT's, MRI's, etc. But I'm wondering how many of you have had on-going problems with blood return when your port is first accessed each time? They always get it to work...but it's been a pain.

Also I am am frustrated with the fact I can't get anyone to use it when I ask them to. All I get is excuses as to why they can't or won't use it. This port is "hugh" compared to my first one & it's not right that not one person will use the darned thing other then my chemo nurse. I wished I'd stuck to my guns and insisted on the same small one I had the first time since no one will use this port. Am I the only one having these two problems with this Bard Power Port?

Chelee

[CourtneyL]

Hi Chelee - Funny you should ask about this - after resisting for nearly two years, I finally bit the bullet and had a power port put in today. I'm currently sitting at home reading all about my "Smart Port CT". I am hoping I don't have the problems you describe but I will definitely let you know if I experience them. After nearly 2 years of non-stop IVs for diagnostics, treatment, blood draws, my veins have had enough. I'm actually really excited to have the port. I am so sick and tired of getting my veins poked and prodded repeatedly and walking around with huge bruises on my arms. Enough is enough. I hope they actually use the port because I can't take any more needles. I hope they will start using your port too!

[Darlene Denise]

Chelee and Courtney: I had my dual lumen Power Port put in last Monday. Had it acessed on that Wednesday for a bone and CT scan. All went well. Like you Miss Courntey, I put it off too. When I went for my last Muga a few weeks ago, it was cancelled because of no vein access. I knew that day was coming, just trying to avoid it! I told my vascular surgeon he better use his best plastic surgery skills and make my port the envy of the chemo room. My last port stood out like I had an MP3 player under my skin. This one looks gooood! Put it in the same place but you can't see it, gotta feel for it! Very happy with its appearance.

Chelee, some facilities don't have trained IV folks available in the nuclear med and scan areas. My suggestion is to call around where you can get scans and see if they are routinely acessing power ports. Whenever you set up your scan be sure to tell them you have a power port. We still have hit and miss access at different facilities, but I found the place and that's where I will be going from now on.

Oh, and I asked for my own power port access kit to carry in my purse just in case they claim they don't have what they need for the scan. I've been told they know how to use it, but the department dosen't stock them yet. Yeah!

One downside, my husband says it's my early Valentine gift. Damn those co-pays!!!

May the Power Port Force be with us...does this make us Power Rangers?

Darlene

[Chelee]

Courtney, Since I posted this question, I'd done some digging and what I found is what Darlene is saying. There just aren't enough people trained to use these ports. In fact one page on the Bard Power Port said they do an "inservice" to teach techs, nurses how to use these ports. But obviously not all facilities are getting this inservice training.

I was up at City of Hope and even had problems getting people to access my port at that hospital...I was shocked. I had to fight all the way to get them to go find someone that knew how to access my port. Even the anesthesiologist I had for my femur surgery refused to use it regardless of how insistent I was. I told him I had NO veins left & I expected my Power Port to be accessed! He told me once I was knocked out for the surgery he would find a vein with no problem. I explained that was not the point...I had this port put in for a reason and it WILL be used. (When I was in recovery...found out he used my hand anyway.) ARGH!

Darlene is right...from now on what I plan to do is call "ahead" of time and let them know I have a Power Port and I do expect it to be used. This way someone trained in the use of the power port will know I'm coming. This might end this on-going problem I keep having. Courtney, to be on the safe side until you know for sure...I would take Darlenes advice and call ahead of time. It will save you major headaches and needle sticks.

Darlene...thanks for the idea. I had to laugh at your "MP3" comment. HA! Thats almost how I feel about the one I have now...it's so big compared to the first one I had. You can see mine a mile away. Glad you had a great surgeon to place yours. Good luck to you both from one power ranger to another. lol

Chelee

[Sheila]

Chelee
My brother teaches the inservice to nurses etc...he works with the Bard power Ports all the time...his main base is Kaiser Permanente Hosp. He brought one home for them to put in me a couple years ago (they didn't have them here yet), but my veins were too small...so I have a regular Bard Port.....

Make sure whoever is accessing it is trained!!!

[Rich66]

FYI, make sure you're not getting the recalled needles:http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/26/needles.recall/index.html

[ElaineM]

I don't have a power port. I have an old fashioned one. However, if I want to use my port for a test outside of my doctor's office my doctor has to write "orders" and send them to the hospital department where I am going to have the test. Technicians who work at that hopspital aren't certified to access ports-------only veins. Only
I. V. nurses can do it, so special arrangements have to be made to get an I. V. nurse for me.

[jgneco]

My power port was put in two weeks ago. I was frustrated because my weekly blood test was drawn from my arm, not my power port. I insisted to use the port to draw my blood last week. What a mistake! It was so painful that I will never do it again. The nurse pull and use a large needle which me fell like I was knife on the chest. The nurse got the blood after pulling and pulling the needle.
When the port was used for Chemo, it was great. It eliminated 2.5 hours of Chemo. the Chemo was only 4.5 hours.

[Chelee]

There are a few take away messages from this entire thread. First one is to make sure as Shelia said the person accessing your port is "trained!" It makes a big difference! And just because they say they are trained to use them...I find it's not always the case. Some seem like it's their first time when they access my port...it's scary and can be painful. Plus I had one nurse in the hosptial get all set-up to access my port with NO gloves...nothing. Obviously she wasn't taught how important it was to be sterile...I told her she wasn't touching me.

Second thing I now plan on doing is to call ahead of time and let them know I have a power port and to please have someone that's well qualified to access it when I get there. Also as Elaine mentioned I will have my onc write it on the orders...that way I have double coverage. For those that just got your new Power Ports I highly suggest you do this prior to going for any of your scans and even surgeries.

Chelee

[schoolteacher]

Chelee,

You suggestion is great. I never thought about calling ahead or having the doctor write prior to procedure for them to have a trained person there.

Amelia

[v-ness]

i wouldn't want anyone but the chemo people accessing my port. every time i went for bloodwork in the past 4 months (which was pretty much weekly), i had the blood girl use my arm. for one thing, it hurts less, and for another it is farther away from my face. i've donated blood for years, so i am not needle wuss, but i just haven't gotten used to that bigass needle so close to my face. the other day even the chemo nurse couldn't get it in right and put THREE holes in me before calling another nurse to get it right. i was awful holey. :) valerie

[curryalso]

My surgeon told me not to let anyone access my port unless they were trained. For a scan she said to get a chemo nurse to access the port for the scan.
Infections and clogs can be caused by not accessing the port properly.

[Chelee]

curryalso, That is a very good point and one should be taken very seriously. One thing I've learned is just because they say they know how to use your port doesn't make it true! All any of us need is a good infection or a port that is damaged because the person did not know how to properly use it and flush it correctly.

I know a while ago after having my "Power Port' installed I went for a PET/CT. I told the tech I wanted my port accessed for the contrast. Same old thing...excuses as to why he can't do it. Then he went so far as to actually just tell me he "won't" get as good a picture on the PET/CT if he uses my power port. That using my arm gives them a much better image of what's going on. (Give me a break...that was the worse excuse I've heard so far.)

I then told him to call upstairs where my chemo room is and ask for my chemo nurse to come down...or anyone of the nurse up there! He then tells me they are NOT allowed to come down there for any reason. He ended up using my ARM...but later when I saw my chemo nurse I told her what happened...and she said she will gladly come down any time to access my port. I told her he said they weren't allowed too come down there. She said that is not true, and it would be no problem at all.

So see...it's really no more then these people are NOT trained in how to use them so they make up a bunch of stories as to why they don't want to access it. (I'd feel better if they just gave me the truth and tell me they don't know how!) If need be I will start calling my "Portacath Lab" ahead of time and ask for the manager. I'll have her make sure the person that shows up at my scans is highly trained.

[Unregistered]

Hi. I had a power port and got an infection from a infusion center. It was called the Iraqibacter. If you look it up it will give you the medical name. Not something you want to get in your port. I was very very sick for about 10 days. Now I am infection free and got a new port put in yesterday. It is way to high - up by my collar bone. I'm not happy about that since my last one was really low and didn't show. This one is sore too so I'm not to sure about the placement. But ports are cool - I'm glad to have one.
Becky

[fauxgypsy]

I have had a Power Port for about 3 years now. It has worked well. You are right about knowing how to access it, though. I had it accessed at the local hospital once. I don't know what they did wrong but they hurt me so bad I screamed. the only thing it is being used for now is to take bllod occasionally. I hope that contineus.

[Rich66]

Is everyone with a port getting it flushed regularly? My mom hasn't been getting infusional chemo for some months and changed oncs since it was put in. Hasn't been accessed since late October!

[Chelee]

Rich, Your Mother really should get it flushed on a semi regular schedule to keep it working. When I was NED for 3.5 yrs...I went in monthly to have it flushed. In case she needs it again I'd have them flush it and see if it's still working? I'm surprised they didn't tell her this.

Chelee

[Chelee]

fauxgypsy,
You really do want to make sure the person accessing your port really has the training they need. It sounds like the person at your hospital used a bigger needle or something? It sure shouldn't of hurt that bad. (I hope you gave that person a good smack.) ;) I know my chemo nurse has warned me to be very careful about who accesses my port. I just had a PET/CT about 2 wks ago and this time I called ahead of my scan and told them I was coming in and wanted someone that was highly trained to access my Power Port properly. It worked out great...this time things went smoothly. (I don't know how were suppose to know which nurses REALLY know what their doing...and those that don't?)

Chelee

[Emelie B]

I am shocked at how big this thing is! It sticks out of all my clothing and I am burusied all around it from the surgery. I called ahead to make sure they had someone on staff for my PET next week and they said sure, your appt. is at 11:30 a.m. Are you kidding me? I would probably chew my arm off by the time I left if I didn't get to eat until 1:00 or so. I opted for use of my arm and a 7:30 appt. Jeez, there is nothing easy about this whole deal.
At least I am not alone with an MP3 player sticking out of my shirt!

[das]

Gee, I am going to get my port installed today - should I get a different one? The doctor said a power port...Thanks

[TriciaK]

For what they are worth, here are my experiences with a portacath: I have always had difficult veins to access. When I had the heart attack in 2004 which led to the discovery of my 3rd BC mets (her2 and in my lungs) the EMT's tried over 10 times in the ambulance to access a blood vessel and finally found one in my right wrist. I spent a month in the hospital being treated for the coronary and the cancer and looked like a pin cushion before someone finally insisted I needed a port for chemo and herceptin. What a difference! Last year the old port was replaced by a power port. Unless I am in the hospital I go to my oncology nurses for all blood tests any doctor orders and for a once a month flush. The chemo lab sends lab test reports to whatever doctors I request. They even prepare the port access for PET and other scans as needed and if necessary, for surgical procedures. The first two days of July this year I had to go to the ER and the port was accessed by a very new ER nurse who had never done an actual port access before, but it was still better than trying to find a vein. I insist on the port being used and sometimes have to be very adamant. I save my one accessible vein in case I have an EMT situation again sometime. I could have had the port removed entirely instead of replacing it with the power port but am glad I didn't because I am now on chemo again. As you can tell, because of my experiences, I highly recommend a power port! I wish I had known about them sooner and commend all of you for the help and advice you have shared here. As usual, this website is of priceless value! Hugs, Tricia

[Debbie L.]

Just a thought, after reading how frustrating it is for many of you to find people who can access your port. I don't know how hard it is to access, but it must be easier than finding a vein so it can't be THAT complicated, right? Something that might be a bit tricky the first few times but with practice one would build skill and confidence.

So - why not learn to access it yourself? Then you'll be sure of the cleanliness of the technique and won't have to argue with people. You would need to keep the special access needles with you, but I'd guess those are available at the onc's office? Perhaps a little mirror, too, but it seems like it's done a lot by feel?

Our insurance during my treatment only covered care in the big city to the south, a drive of over an hour. Even though we have a local hospital, I'd have had to pay to get my chemo labs done there. So I was driving all that way just to get blood drawn. One day, the (wonderful) chemo nurse said: "you know, I don't need YOU, I just need your BLOOD, don't you know enough people coming down that you could draw your own tubes and just have them drop them off?". People from my husband's work went there daily so that's what I did. I'm a nurse so drawing it wasn't a big deal although it was a little tricky doing it left handed (couldn't use left arm for draw d/t lymphedema).

Let us know if anyone thinks accessing your own port is a do-able solution. You'd be the talk of the office!

Debbie Laxague

[Kstar]

For those of you experiencing pain when they access you power port: ask your oncologist to prescribe some numbing creme. The name of mine escapes me, but it is a generic. I feel absolutely nothing when I use it. I put it on my power port heavily. Then cover it with "press and peel" which you can find at your grocery store with the plastic wrap. I do this about an hour before bloodwork or any other access. No one told me I needed to ask my doctor for prescription for this creme. I found out my first bloodwork appointment. This creme has definitely been a Godsend.

-K*

[Rich66]

Mom's been using Fougera brand (Lidocaine 2.5% and Prilocaine 2.5%) cream from Walgreens pharmacy (prescription). But after using the port weekly for many months now, not a big deal if she forgets it. Putting ice in an exam glove and applying that while they set things up can help too. Some places use Gebauer's pain ease spray. Helped my Dad when enduring many (forehand) daily sticks in the hospital.

[Dianedack]

I have had a power port for 2.5 years. My problem has been to get them to use the correct power port needle which they dont have in the chemo dept. so I have to collect a needle from the CT dept and get the chemo nurse to insert it before I have the scans. They use the regular needles for chemo and blood drawing which I am really not happy with but I have given up arguing - why not use the right tool for the job! I have asked if I can buy the power port needles but with no luck. I would like a supply to use as needed. The power port needles are wonderful for getting blood out. All in all I am very happy with my port and hope it lasts many years I have no veins so access woukd be impossible without it.

Happy power day!

Best wishes

Diane
x

[Unregistered]

I have had some of the same issue w/ poorly trained staff who want to access my Bard Power Port. A couple of days ago while I was in the Oncology Clinic, they sent in an RN to access me. At first I thought that she had OCD because of the odd way she layed things out and she continued to wash her hands (probably 6 times). She obviously was nervous. I mentioned to her that she must have done this before. She indicated that she had many times before. She puttered around with her cart which was supposed to have everything in it that she would need. I had just been transferred as a patient from one major hospital to another, so I thought that perhaps things were done so differently because of a difference in procedures from one institution to another. But the reality was that she didn't even seem to know how to properly clean the area. She also had never used the numbing spray. She sprayed my neck on the opposite side from my port. I corrected her on how she was doing this a couple of times and began to get irritated. Then as she was about to insert the needle, she came at me from a funny angle. Then she attempted to draw back on the syringe and nothing came from it. I have only had my port since January this year, but have never had any problems with it and told her so. When I looked down I saw that she didn't even have the needle fully inserted and it was at a scued angle and I mentioned this to her as calmly as I could. I realized that she had no idea what she was doing. What I want to know is how can they turn someone loose on such a big thing without any supervision???! I asked her to get another nurse. The woman who came in tried to flush with saline & of course she also could get no blood return. At first she said nothing about the obvious issues with the way the other girl tried to access my port, but when I pointed it out she could not deny it. She told me that she had to be quick because "I can't leave the children alone too long" this was in reference to the others she was working with. I then asked them to simply remove the needle and for her (new nurse) to access it this time. When she did, alot of the saline gushed out (which of course freaks me out). She did manage to successfully manage to use it on her first try though. It is 2 days later now and the skin over my port is red and itchy about the size of a quarter. I am concerned. Has this happened to anyone before?

[Unregistered]

Hi
I've just had my second Bard Power Port put in today. My first was taken out after my first chemo and a year of Herceptiin in 2009 which it seems didn't work.

I had no trouble with any procedures with it and any nurses that had to access it. All of the chemo nurses were very well trained and when I went for blood or CT scan, a port nurse was brought in. I am so glad to have another as lately when I have only one arm to use, they have lots of trouble and I have lots of bruises.

Gail

[Unregistered]

just got my power port yesterday which was put in place to replace the picline i have had for about a month. its suppose to be safer for me and longterm. i have not even taken off the bandage yet(tomorrow according to nurse) and i am already nervous. i hook up to TPN every night for 12 hours and i have to do it myself. with the picline i do nothing but hook it up and set the machine pump. but with this port i will be puncturing the skin every day and i am very scared about doing that to myself. i know my daughters will not do that for me. they have been helping me hook up so far because i need help because picline is in my arm and i can't use two hands. so i thought with the new port i would be more independant. but now i just don't know if i can do this. also i didn't really expect any pain but today it is hurting some. almost feels like infection kind of pain. just didn't know what to expect because noone told me. the docs office just set it up and i showed up at hospital. i called them today and said i felt like i was left out here on my own to figure this out. of course she started talking then to fill me in. anyone else out there that hooks there own up everyday? i have a visiting nurse that has been coming only on monday to redress the picline and check progress of my health. she is suppose to be coming to show me how to use this . hope it all goes well.

[KDR]

I have the MediPort and it is big. I can see the catheter in my neck. When in the passenger side of a car, seatbelting is uncomfortable.
The reason for not accessing your port unless for chemo is that one leaves oneself wide open for infection upon each access. My onco nurses cover their mouths and noses, glove their hands and then open the paper tray of utensils. I have never had a problem with anyone accessing it, but they won't do it for simple blood work.
When I need a PET or CT, I stop on the chemo unit and let the nurses I know access my port (with the blue, larger needle needed for contrast, etc.).
Icing the area is sometimes better than the numbing cream unless you know exactly when you are going to be called. The numbness can wear off, icing is immediate.

HTH
Karen

[LuckyLinda]

My double power port (Bard) sticks up like a bathtub drain in the "up" position. I was told that is because I don't have a lot of subcutaneous fat. It is always sore for several days after infusions, and the needle stick just plain hurts. I have a pretty good pain threshold having had 3 shoulder surgeries, two ankle surgeries, and knee surgery, but this thing is very snesitive to the touch! .The only time it has been accessed is when I have my infusions. For blood draws and MUGA scans they use my arm and it is totally painless. I'm not gonna fight them on this one. I can't wait to have it GONE! My seat belt rubs against it, it shows through my clothes and it is still black and blue after 5 months. I read somewhere that someone had her oncologist schedule the removal on the same day as the last Herceptin infusion. I'm going to ask for the same thing!

[vballmom]

I got my power port three weeks ago and I am so thankful. I have had two A/C treatments, plus I was hospitalized for being neutropenic. The oncology nurses all access it without issue. The only one who had trouble was the ER nurse who used too big a needle and a float nurse who struggled a little. I can't even imagine going through this without it. It is big and awkward, but I can deal with that.

[KDR]

You can ice it before infusion, it also help with bruising. When a passenger, I push the belt under my arm and away from my shoulder. I hate the port and the scar.

Karen