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Port doesn't return blood
Yesterday I had some blood work done but the nurse could not use my port. I had not applied the EMLA cream and the nurse gave me a Lidocaine shot prior to accessing my port.
When she did so, she was able to flush it with Heparin but unable to get any blood return. Has this happened to anyone before? I've been flushing my port monthly but forgot to do so last month with the holidays and kids at home.
I had to get my labs done from a vein in my hand, which was very painful. She couldn't feel the veins in my left arm and asked me if I had had enough fluids that day - supposedly it helps open up the veins.
Any ideas on what could have caused the lack of blood return? I'm going to try to have it flushed again next week.
Thanks!
Marcia
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ER+ (30%)/PR-/HER-2+, stage 3
Diagnosed on 02/18/09 at 38 with a huge 12x10 cm tumor, after a 6 month delay. Told I was too young and had no risk factors. Found swollen node during breastfeeding.
March-August 09: neo-adjuvant chemo, part of a trial at Stanford (4 DD A/C, 4 Taxotere with daily Tykerb), loading dose of Herceptin
08/12/09 - bye bye boobies (bilateral mastectomy)
08/24/09 - path report shows 100 % success in breast tissue (no cancer there, yay!), 98 % success in lymphatic invasion, and even though 11/13 nodes were still positive, > 95 % of the tumor in them was killed. Hoping for the best!
September-October 09: rads with daily Xeloda
02/25/10 - Cholecystectomy
05/27/10 - Bone scan clear
06/14/10 - CT scan clear, ovarian cyst found
07/27/10 - Done with Herceptin!
02/15/11 - MVA-BN HER-2 vaccine trial
03/15/11 - First CA 15-3: 12.7 and normal, yay!
10/01/11 - Bone scan and CT scan clear, fatty liver found
now on Tamoxifen and Aspirin
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