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I've had my port since Oct. 2001. I will probably never have it removed because I am still receiving Herceptin every 3 weeks. They used to give me Lidocaine before they accessed my port. Then when I was at UCSF in 2002 for my liver resection, none of the nurses there used it, and to my surprise I didn't feel anything. I actually think there is more discomfort when they use the lidocaine, as there was always a burning sensation when it was administered.
Just wanted to add that in the last year we have started using a finer gauge needle when accessing my port(22 gauge). After having it for over 4 years, my skin has gotten very thin and the whole port is really protruding. We are trying to preserve my skin as long as possible, so I don't have to have my port relocated any sooner than necessary. We still have to use the bigger needles when I have my large blood draws for the vaccine trial, otherwise it is impossible to get that much blood.
In answer to the question of the white glob in your blood. I too noticed this once when they were doing one of those BIG blood draws, and asked what it was. The nurse told me it was the fat in my blood all binding together. I laughed and told her I didn't realize they were doing liposuction too !
She told me a story of a man who came in regularly for blood draws. Evidently he always went to McDonalds before he came in for treatment and had a huge meal. She said he had the biggest globs of fat in his blood that she had ever seen. It is amazing how fast it gets into your blood stream. I guess that's why they always want you to fast when they are checking your cholesterol level. Anyway, it really gave me motivation to monitor my fat intake!
Always learning, Kim in CA
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