[Jackie07]

Mine is a port-a-cath (not sure if that's the brand name). I had one put in during lumpectomy in 2003 and it was used for chemo and blood draw but not for the scans. It was taken out about 1 year after I had completed my 18-week chemo and then the 6 weeks radiation. One lady doctor in the weekend clinic had told me that usually the port is kept for 1 year after completing chemo.

My second one was put in during mastectomy in 2007 and is still on my chest right now (the same place as was installed in 2003). My oncologist had tried to persuade me to remove it last year because he thought I was attached to it psychologically (not believing that I have been 'cured'.) He did not understand that since my right arm is not available due to previous lymphedema situation caused by the loss of 11 lymphnodes, and my left side veins are hard to access - due to my left side paralysis after the 1990 brain tumor surgery and too many scar tissues in the veins, I needed the port to have access to the big vein.

The time from the last when I had blood work done, I was in the outpatient clinic and did not want to bother going back to the Oncology department in the main building to get access to the port. Three technicians failed to get blood from my veins, and eventually the third one stabbed my finger tips and 'squeezed' the blood into the tubes. It was a 'grusome' sight.

When I saw the oncologist 2 hours later, I showed my 'gaused-over' fingers to him and he agreed to let me keep my port. "Flush it every 6 weeks," he said. I think he was 'amused'. (Sorry, I do have this 'love-hate' relationship with him - having been kept hostage since 2003.)