Re: Port Placement
 

I had a port put in yesterday. I don't know what kind it is. I'm pretty thin on top, so it does stick out, but not too bad. My concern is the pain I'm having. The nurse said it would feel like someone punched me, but actually it feels like someone stabbed me. Tylenol is helping, but when it wears off it is hurting pretty bad. Also, I'm really red around the incision site. Anyone else have pain like this, and how long did it last? I was going to go to a limited mobility yoga class today, but I'm way too sore to do anything!

Re: Port Placement
 

Patz,

I had my port put in last Friday, while chunky in other places my chest/collar area is the only bony place on my body...go figure?

As per the pain, I must be completely honest...I had no pain just soreness. The first night it was difficult to sleep on my left side without propping a pillow under my arm. Thereafter it has only been an odd sensation of knowing that something is sticking about 1/4 inch from my body. It's not sensitive to touch unless of course you press on it with vengeance...which I have a few times just to see how much pressure I could take.
While everyone is different when it comes to pain tolerance, I know mine is extremely high...have never taken any form of pain medication for either of my lumpectomies, re excision or the port placement.
So....with all that said I am not so concerned with you being in pain as much as I am with it being red around the incision site. I think I would have that checked...

PS....I've been trying to post a picture but cant figure out how to do it :(

Hugs to all....Lisa

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Lisa
Hope somebody will chime in with instructions for posting pics! I can't do it either but would love to know how.
Glad it's healing well.
Ellie

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Lisa,
I had the port re-checked this morning. They said it looks good. She said if it was infected that it would be red going up my neck, but it's just red and swollen around the port, and a bit tender to the touch just above it. I was told to ice it every hour and take motrin, and if it still really hurts in a few days to come back again. Right now it's not too bad, but on the way to the hospital, every time the car hit a bump or pothole, it hurt like hell! I would say my pain tolerance is about average. But I am very sensitive to a lot of things. My arm is really red underneath the spot where I got my flu and pneumonia vaccines the other day. My whole lower arm turned red and blotchy after getting an injection of benadryl yesterday before having the port put in. And when I get mosquito bites I get large welts! I'm really hoping I won't have any "weird" reactions to the chemo, although it seems like you never know what kind of reaction someone will have to chemo!!!!

Re: Port Placement
 

Good news that there is no infection!! Great news as a matter of fact! You know, you mentioned the pothole and I did experience that too on day two. My poor fiancé, he was shot the look of........!!
When do you begin chemo? mine begins tomorrow....not sure how I feel. I would say that one part of me is scared as hell while the other part of me is excited!! Yes, I did say excited. I want to begin this journey and start my countdown.
The beautiful ladies of this forum have been so open about their experiences that I am going into chemo with a lot less fear then what I thought I'd have. I feel like I know what to expect, the good...the bad....and the ugly. I know we all react differently to the drugs, but they've given be a base on which to rely.

Mustering up the courage to shave the head today...26" boohoo hoooo! I want it all off before I begin treatment.

Good Luck to you Patz... I'm sure in a day or two you wont even realize you have the port!!
Keep us posted.

Hugs to all....Lisa

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Lisa and Patz! Just dropping by to offer encouragement as you get started with treatment. As Lisa said, starting the countdown! Just keep your eye on the prize. I have often stated here that a psychologist told me that once I begin chemo it will be like having a balloon pricked...all the anxiety will be released. So true.
Patz, if the team is aware of your allergic tendencies, they will administer meds prior to infusion. Well, they do anyway. As a precaution. So just be sure to mention it to your doc.
You might put info in your signatures so we know more about you both.
Keep the faith.

Re: Port Placement
 

Bonnie, Thank You for the encouragement, it's greatly appreciated...I'm ready and set to go!!
Yes, indeed I will post my info my signature. You'd think I would have done that immediately considering its the first thing I look at on others... :/

Ellie....YAY, just figured how to post the avatar picture. Its quite simple. Go to User CP and check avatar, then from there you can upload a picture you have saved to your computer.

I'm still trying to figure out how to post a picture in a thread....oh well, I guess I will just have to play around some more

Hugs to all....Lisa

Re: Port Placement
 

http://images3a.snapfish.com/2323232...44534%3Bnu0mrj
Well, I got the picture on....I dont know how??? and it's huge, cant figure out how to shrink it????

Re: Port Placement
 

Well done Lisa! Port looks smaller than I thought. As it settles down a little I suspect it will look even smaller.
I totally understand the hair issue. Mine was a similar length to yours. I didn't shave it until lots had fell out! Looking back I think I would have shaved mine as I started treatment as to be truthful the traumatic part was watching it come out in handfuls everyday until finally my partner got the shaver and took the remaining strands off!
Ellie

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi there Ellie, I am looking forward to them pulling back the surgi-strips tomorrow so I can really see what this thing looks like...Ohhhh Yikes!
You my friend have more courage then I. There is no way I could wait for my hair to begin coming out in clumps..That would destroy me. I figure if I do it first then having a baldy head is my choice and not something that is a consequence of my treatment. Awww who the heck am I kidding? I want it off so I can go wig happy on all the colors and styles I've wanted but never had the courage to do before!!! LOL

Hugs to all....Lisa

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Lisa and Bonnie, and everyone else!

The port is already less painful than it was this morning, but it still feels weird. I can't wait until I don't even notice it! I see my oncologist next week to go over my test results (bone scan, CT scans, echo), and I guess that's when he will tell me when I am starting chemo...I'm guessing the following week.
I'm not as brave when it comes to the head shaving. Anyway, i need to go pick out a wig and some hats and scarves first! Then i will probably wait until the first sign of hairloss, and then have a friend come over and do it with me. It's going to be weird.
As for the chemo reactions, I just get nervous, because in August I had my bilateral mastectomy, and reconstruction, and I had complications that landed me in ICU. I was in critical condition, on a ventilator for 8 days. It was totally unexpected. I am a pretty fit person (have done a few triathlons, and love to run and bike). Anyway, ever since then, I am scared of even the weirdest possible side effects. When I had checked in for my surgery, they asked if I had a living will, and I said no, and in my head was thinking I should work on that someday, but it didn't seem to be a concern for a fairly routine surgery. Less than a week later I'm laying in ICU with a feeding tube, and a ventilator....it made me realize that anything can happen at any time. In a lot of ways it changed me for the better. i was already a person with strong faith, but that made it even stronger (pulling through). Anyway, I'm nervous about side effects, and I'm also nervous about how I will react to my hair loss, even though I'm trying to be prepared for it. I am sure I'll be ok, but it is a little scary. This whole cancer journey has been weird...good, bad, and emotional!
Thanks for all the support. i will continue to check in here, and keep everyone updated. Now i will work on my photo and my signature info!
Pat

Re: Port Placement
 

I managed to get my avatar up, but I can't seem to get my signature up. When I first wrote it, it came up as an error; too many characters. So, I re-wrote it, and saved it, but it's still not showing???????

Re: Port Placement
 

oops....it did work!!!!

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Ladies,

Just thought I would tell you how my hair experience was. Remember everyone is different.

I waited until my hair started to fall out because I could not bare to cut it my self. What a mistake for me! (I sure wish I had!) 3 weeks after Chemo started my hair and scalp started to hurt unbelievably bad!!! after the first 3 days I could not take it any more! I went out that day and had it shaved and the pain went away immediately! I sure hope this does not happen to you Pat.

Gods blessings to you both on your Journey. I will pray the side effects are minimal for you both.

Your Friend,

Nancy

Re: Port Placement
 

Thanks Nancy,
I'm thinking as soon as I feel any discomfort or pain in my head, or see the hair coming out, that's when i'll shave my head. Did you do it yourself, or did you have someone do it for you? Did you buy a shaver just for the occasion? Did you cut your hair short first? Did you wear wigs or scarves mostly? I am going to try to go wig shopping this weekend, but i also want to have plenty of hats and scarves. After the hair is gone, do you wash your head with your normal body soap? Sometimes i have dry skin...I've never had dandruff, but i wonder if my head will get dry skin? I know these are a lot of questions, and they seem trivial, but everything seems so weird and different lately. My whole world seems to revolve around cancer lately!!!! Well, I AM going on a bike ride with a friend of mine on Saturday....nothing to do with cancer! Just a nice bike ride at the beach!
Thanks for any answers you feel like giving!
I'm very happy to have found this group!
Pat

Re: Port Placement
 

Thought would chime in about hair loss. Mine was very gradual...just keep thinning. No pain. Eventually I looked rather like an ostrich so began wearing scarves, snug hats when outside. I bought wigs but could not abide them so donated them to "Look Good, Feel Better" program put on by ACS. If there is one near you, they might provide a wig.
Last night I ran into another survivor and we were saying how we have kept our hair short since. And we agreed that going bald might have been just fine. I think a cancer survivor is a beautiful woman to behold. I never want to go thru it again, but if I did, I would not cover up so much. I think I partially was afraid of scaring people when I went out.
I remember being at a party with my head covered. It just was coming in peach fuzzy. The other guests encouraged me to go commando, so to speak, and uncover my head. I felt so empowered! It was our wedding anniversary too. I have a photo from that evening that I cherish.
Keep the faith.

Re: Port Placement
 

Hi Pat,

You sound a lot like the way I was while I was going through the whole hair thing.

My 22 year old son said when it came time to shave my hair he would do it. (We already had a shaver that he used.) When the time came he started to shave my head and it was very hard for him. He had tears in his eyes and knew I had been in pain and said I don't want to cause you any more pain. He hugged me and we sat for a while and talked. He had to leave for school and my 27 year old daughter came over and took me to a salon where they have private rooms. There my daughter and I cried as the hair dresser shaved my head. My daughter and I do not look a lot a like except our hair!

The hair dresser brought in many wigs to try on and my daughter and I started to have fun with it and laughed our selves silly! I walked out with a wig (400 dollars). I was way to self consious to go any where with out a wig on ever. My husband never saw me with out a night cap or wig on. I receive Botox shots for migraines and my neurologist was the only one who ever saw me bald. He is a very wonderful dr. I have known him a long time. when I told him I had cancer he teared up quickly and was very shocked. He pulled up a chair quickly held my hands and told me how sorry he was for me. He said he would always be there for me and he was.

I highly recommend a cooling cap to wear under your wig. I also tried halo wigs with
hats but I was to afraid the hat would come off. If you choose to have a wig, wig shampoo works very well and shine spray helps your wig keep from getting dull looking a pic helps a lot also.

I never did do scarfs. (I've never been a hat or scarf person.)

You will do what ever makes you feel comfortable.

I'm a very modest woman and I was embaressed to let anyone know that I had cancer or that I was bald.

TLC has a great wed site and catalog where you can find wigs cheaper, scarfs, hats, cooling caps, mast. bras you name it. I did not know about them until I already bought the wig!

Good luck shopping I hope It goes well for you! I recommend taking someone with you.

You can never have to many questions to ask. That is what all of your sisters and brothers are here for.

Gods blessings to you and your family.

Your Friend,

Nancy

Re: Port Placement
 

Pat,

I guess I over did a bit I hope its not to much info.

I just can't tell how long it is until I post. I always forget to press preview!

Peace

Re: Port Placement
 

Pat, my port area was quite sore for 7-10 days and then settled down, although throughout the months I had it I did get an odd sharp tingling pain now and then just for a moment.
The strange thing is years later I still get a little soreness there but not too often!

Nancy I also had that scalp soreness too which went as soon as all the hair did, in the meanwhile I found wearing a cozy sleep cap helped ease it, I got mine at www.headcovers.com

Re: Port Placement
 

Tricia,

Thank you so much for your response. Useful information, I love it. I pray to God I never need to use it though.

Gods blessings to you Little Sis.

Your Friend,

Nancy