Port infection -what causes them? My lousey experience...

[Kimberly Lewis]

Yikes - I wake up at 4am with a sore port and get up to take tylenol and realize not only is it sore but swollen. I have my herceptin infusion that day so I tell the nurse as soon as I go in. She replies "it looks fine to me..." and is still working so plugs in the herceptin and off she goes. I feel lousy and am sure there is something wrong. Being one who has suffered many medical abuses this past year from hell, I figure here we go again. By the time I get home my temp is 99.9 - I call and the nurse actually says "do you take your temperature all the time? I think being emotional can cause your temperature to go up, maybe you should just find someone to talk to." This was a real slap in the face. I finally got someone to see me - not my Onc, and I have a raging infection and have to have my port pulled. wahhhh.
My question now is -
1.what causes infections in ports
2.can I have one put in the other side of my chest if that is the side I had lymph nodes removed from?
Anybody know? Thanks!

[Chelee]

Kimberly, I won't be much help to you, but I just wanted to let you know I got angry when I read your post! Thats awful how you were treated when your called about your port. So many ignorant people out there. But that coming from a nurse is in excusable to me.

I have been through almost the exact same thing so I know how that feels to be insulted. I have anxiety and one of the first times I called my onc doc about breathing problems after my chemo (TCH)...he same as said I was a bit sensitive and maybe I ought to take a extra xanax & lay down. (I was calling him because I could NOT breath, I was scared!) Four days of breathing problems and guess who ended up in the hospital and almost died! I am so tired of being insulted. I know my body better then anyone...and I know when something is wrong. I don't call them for the fun of it.

This type of thing has happened more then once...they never believe me till something happens like it DID to you. You think they would believe us..we ought to know when something is wrong.

I am really sorry you had to deal with such an ignorant person. Plus it cost you all that un-necessary stress and your infection COULD of gotten out of control due to her. But I am glad your doing ok. But that is awful you have to have the port removed and replaced.

Its always something...isn't it. I do *think* you CAN have the port placed in the other side even though you had the snb. But others here will know for sure. But I am pretty darned sure you can.

As to what causes the infection...one never really knows? I know my port is in my upper left arm and it got all red and warm to touch. Starting to get infected. I was given antibiotics right away and it cleared up thank goodness. Too bad your darned nurse didn't believe you...might of saved you from having a new port put in?

Good luck to you. Warn & healing thoughts coming your way.

Chelee

[madubois63]

I hope you make a complain about the way you were treated!!! I would not let that go - ugh!!! Yes - you can have the port placed on the other side without problems. My first port was placed on the opposite side of my mastectomy six years ago. It flipped just before my last treatment and was quickly removed. Five years later...I had a new port placed. My thoracic surgeon put it in on my left side and used a sonogram to find the best placement. I still have the port on the left side and (knock wood) have not had any problems with lymphodema. When I started treatment for the leukemia, the new onc wanted a Hickman catheter put in. It is a three pronged ugly as sin thing that was placed on my right side. So as of now, I am a hybrid car - gas or electric - just depends on which access thingy you want to use...As too the infection??? It could have been the nurses - unclean practice or your body rejecting the port?? Can't you try an antibiotic before pulling the port. I've read two weeks of Vancomycin may do the trick (but I'm no doctor)...
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-:¦:- ((¸¸.Maryann -:¦:-´´

[StephN]

This is extremely important and the reason that NO ONE should ever try to access your port unless they are "chemo certified" and use the "kit" that has all the protective gear.

When I get home, I very often take off the gauze and tape and use an alcohol swab myself for extra cleaning.

I also take a hot shower and wash well just prior to going in for my infusions. Right away after my shower I put on the numbing cream and cover the area with a piece of Tegaderm. This comes off when the nurse is going to disinfect the area prior to access with the needle.

Even with precautions a microbe can get into the port and cause an infection. I know a couple of women who have ended up with their port in the underside of their upper arm (like Chelee), and this seems fine for them.

Right now, my port won't draw, only infuse. But it has been in for nearly 6 years. Have to do something to get it to work again.
Hope you are able to take a good antibiotic and get your port to settle down, if they have not already taken it out.

[Kimberly Lewis]

Thanks for the responses - I was told that I had no choice but remove the port. I suppose that was because she accessed it while it was infected? My sis the nurse says that it would be like getting conjunctivitis and not throwing awayyour mascara etc. - just end up reinfecting yourself. I have been on IV antibiotics all week and a pill called levaquin. I am very upset that this happened. I was due to have my hysterectomy this week. Now I have to have another port installed when I am all clear and figure out when to do the surgery again. what a mess....

The nurses all seem to use standard proceedures in accessing the port - I am just not sure what happened. will write when the cultures from the tip of the port and the fluid around it come back.

[sarah]

Isn't there a chemo doctor on the ward? what about talking to the doctor who put it in, I'm sure he'd be very angry at the nurses careless treatment and so should your oncologist.
Definitely make sure you never get that infusion nurse again.
good luck
sarah

[madubois63]

Why can't you have both procedures scheduled for the same hospital stay??? Check in to it....Good luck!

[Kimberly Lewis]

I got the lab work back and it is a staph infection. Nothing gets done till this is all clear now. Though from what the nurse said, you always have the staph in your system and have to be very careful from here on out? My problem is the port must heal first and it is really an ugly sight. I intend to write a letter to the staff and just let them know how I felt and was affected by my treatment - not naming names but trying to get them to see how it looks from the patients side. The chemo Dr. there decided without examining me that it was nothing and he apologised. The cancer center I went to second was where the port was installed. It was not a surgeon who placed it but a radiologist. I guess he didn't have the qualifications to remove it? Not sure what all the politics are but boy was I sick and did I ever feel neglected. Now I am recovering and had tons of antibiotics. Sure would like to know where this came from and how and if I can prevent it happening again!! any ideas anyone?

[IRENE FROM TAMPA]

Kimberly I read your post with interest. First I am so sorry that this happened to you. I am always concerned when they access my port. The infusion nurses at Moffitt no longer "gear up" as in the past. with the face mask. They do wear gloves but sometimes they are talking and I am thinking what if they unintentionally "spit" while they are talking and that enters through the port.

I asked about it since way back when I could not even face the port when they were accessing. They are very capable nurses and I have never had any issues such as yours, but they are saying it's not longer necessary to do all of that.????

Now hearing what happened to you makes me wonder. Next week when I am there I am going to question again. Especially since there is so much talk about this staph infection (which I was in the hospital for in May with a staph infection on my arm) luckily it was not in my blood stream. But they say I am now suceptible to getting it again.

Hope you are doing better and this heals quickly.

Take care Kimberly.

[Annlyn]

Hi Kimberley
Sorry to hear what has happened. A port should not be accessed if it is sore in any way. You definately have something to complain about. However, I would also like to let you know that when I had an infected port some years ago a long dose of antibiotics lead to a full recovery. It was not accessed until a week after the end of the course to ensure that there was no residual infection.
What is the correct procedure for accessing a port?
I remember the protocol changing about a year ago The nurses used to flush first immediately after inserting the needle but now they draw back some blood and discard i understand this is
done so that if there is infection in the line it is drawn off rather than pushed into the heart
I understand that there is no need to gown up for herceptin they always use gloves
Kimberley I hope things improve for you
Annlyn

[sarah]

Dear Kimberly,
Seems strange that they wouldn't investigate your concerns more thoroughly. I hope you never have another bad experience like this again.
Here in France, they draw back some blood which they discard, they wear gloves and a mask that covers the face and nose.

Dear Her2ers: Staph infection question - I always thought it was associated with the throat so I went to www.mayoclinic.com to look it up and just about had a heart attack!! the picture of the "abcess" is exactly what I had on my right arm during chemo and afterwards and it took a long time to heal. It itched and started as small bumps that then became open, oozing sores. I put calomine lotion of it. Anyway, my arm sores now are healed - just a light scarring from the sores. Here's my qustion, if it was a staph infection wouldn't I be deathly ill by now - a year or so later? or can it subdue and come back and should I be checked for a staph infection? or because I'm NOT deathly ill it must mean it's obviously something else - allergy to the Taxol, Cortisone or whatever other poisons I was given?
Here's the photo and info I looked at:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrs...735/DSECTION=2
thanks
sarah

[sadie]

StephN
I have been having the same problem with my port (less than 1 yr old).
Only once in the last 4 or 5 treatments were they able to draw blood.
They said as long as it is still flushing ok, there is no problem.
Should I insist on having it checked out? Does this mean I need a new port?

[KathyA]

Kimberly,

I’ve had two infected ports in the last year and 4 ports all together. Hope this is the last. It did not affect the lymphadema which I have had. You might be able to continue treatment using your veins. If you are only on Herceptin it does not have much effect on the veins, burning etc if you have it over an11/2 hrs or so in a drip. At least I was able to do it. The first time it took too long to heal, 6 months. This past April I went to a wound healing place and it was much faster 3 months. I guess I’m a slow healer. They gave me topical antibiotics continued to test for new or other infections I actually had two a yeast and a staff during this time. It was expensive but my insurance covered it. I have had ports on both sides, one on the left and 2 on the right no problem with lymphadema.

With this new port I changed doctors and asked him to be sure he washed his hands. Ha ha.

I don’t know why I got the infection and neither does the doctor.

I was interested in the post by Sarah about the staff. I had a rash on my arm also went to the dermatologist and he said fungus. Treated but nothing seemed to work both times after the port healed the rash also healed. Vveerryy interesting.

All in all it wasn’t such a bad thing just time and effort changing the dressing etc. Hopefully it built my level of patience it really was a drag. But if this is all I have to complain about luck for me.

Good luck, God bless and I hope everything goes well.

Prayers and thanksgiving that we have the strength to “Keep on paddling.”

Kathy



PS about the drawing of bloods I have to sometimes get up from the table walk around do a little shake, rattle and roll and then the “bloody thing” will give the blood.

[lu ann]

I had a friend who was treated for ovarian cancer 3 staight years without a break. Her abdoman filled with fluid several times. While draining the fluid, a staff infection invaded her body. She died one month later.

Before I have a CT scan I go next door to the treatment center and have my port accessed by a chemo nurse. The radiologist pushes the contrast through my port. After the procedure I return to the center to have the needle removed. Is this safe or should I go back to having it put in my arm?

Thankyou and Blessings,
Lu Ann

[sfernando]

My port was put in on my mastectomy and lymph node removal side because my mets appeared on the other side and would obstruct the surgeon around the neck and collarbone area.

I have a continual swelling where my arm and breast would meet, which makes my mastectomy look even more hollow, but the swelling hasn't gone down the arm nor caused any pain.

I've had the same port for 17 months now with no problems.

Sharon

[sfernando]

I've had several ct scans after having my port acccessed by a chemo nurse, with the contrast solution pushed through my port by the ct techs with no problems. I do have to remind the techs to use an alchol swab.

I've also had Mugas, bone scans, bubble tests (and could be forgetting some) done through my port. The only one they wouldn't was the PET scan, and I think that was the technician's perogative.

I'd be interested in any answers you receive.

Sharon