I am not one to follow the rules, I have been having blood taken from my arm where I had 16 lymphs removed, for about 5 years now, around about the time I had my port put in, I haven't experienced any problems, I can't get the blood drawn out of my port because they never seem to get the result back in time for chemo, the only problem is that with the port I can't have any CT scans done using the port because it can blow it up and send bits through my veins, and a vein has to be found one way or another because my so called good arm is completely fried, I hate it when I get a smug technician who says "I can find a vein" I tell them they get 3 goes and if they don't get one it goes in their arm, they usually run for an aneasethetist or doctor, I had one sitting and there were 9 attempts and even tried an ultra sound, in the end he just stabbed at my wrist, it hurt like hell but he found a tiny vein, it takes a while but we eventually get one or not, I have had one blow out while the nuclear dye is being pushed through for the CT, the stuff went everywhere. I can admit that I did do the wrong thing and have nuclear dye put in my bad arm 2 days in a row and I paid for it, I was lucky I got the lymphoedema to go down in 2 days but now either they find a vein or they do the CT without the dye. I don't know about anyone else but I felt unwell for about a week when I had my port put in, I was conscious and didn't feel a thing, but I had to lay on my back for 4 hours and not even get up for the toilet because the port is placed in the jugular vein, that was a bummer, but I don't regret it for one minute, except when it comes to wearing clothes that hide it and as I am a lifer for Herceptin I guess it will be there for a long while yet.
Love & Hugs Lyn
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