I don't remember seeing anything about it and I'm kind of not knowledgeable about chemo, what is the new medicine an IV
It's a surreal parallel existence that is routine in other people's lives, and most of us never even know it exists. There are lots of those.
Yes, it is administered by IV, Tony. They plug the IV needle into the port installed in my chest and it drips at a prescribed rate.
I read your story of the gyrating lady who lost her wig after I posted this. Sound a little bit like you have to do the turkey dance. I'm hoping for the best that you have minimal side effects and discomfort. Thanks for Ramblin Man.
So far I haven't had any blockage in my port, so hopefully my luck will hold!! Thanks again for the moral support!
@Beth Gallagher I have these two rubber tubes protruding from my upper chest, closed by threaded stopples. Each time they open them, they inject juice to assure freedom from blockage due to clotting. I have never seen any gyrations performed in relation to this, but many dialysis patients have a different entry, in their upper arm. That type is termed "permanent", while mine is called "temporary"; why, I don't know. I just don't know......beginning to suspect though. I'll outline this all later.\ Frank
I suppose it's a kind of good news that you have a "temporary" port (or maybe a PICC line), Frank. That may indicate that you won't need it at some point, and I certainly hope that's the case. My mother had the permanent device in her arm and it seemed so big and obtrusive on her tiny thin arm. Mama died in 1991 so I'm sure they have improved in form/function since that time. She had complete kidney failure and dialysis for over 5 years. My port is also "permanent" and does not show at all; it is under my skin in my chest about 2" down from my collar bone. It's about the size of a dime and has three small nubs that stick up and can be felt through the skin for needle positioning. There is a tube that goes from the port, up into the jugular vein at the base of my neck, and down toward the heart.
Speaking of my port, I noticed a few days ago that the tube that goes into my jugular vein seems to be protruding from my neck a bit more than it was. No other symptoms (no swelling, redness) other than a twinge of pain when I turn my head a certain way. Since I'm paranoid about damage to that vein, I messaged the port surgeon who recommended that I go in and have it checked. So they added a Venus Duplex Scan to my appointment lineup next Wednesday. Since I have no idea what that means, Dr. Google to the rescue... "Venous duplex scan is a painless exam that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to capture images of internal views of veins that return blood to the heart. During an upper extremity venous duplex scan, the veins in your neck, shoulders, arms and wrists are viewed." By the time this year is over, I will probably have had every medical scan known to man.
I hope the tube doesn't need "adjusting." I'm not up for having my jugular vein cut again. (But I want to be sure that thing is working correctly when I start the more harsh chemo in a couple of weeks.)
Only until the wounds were healed. It was put in on February 1 and I've had no problem with it. It works like a champ for the chemo, but this is my biggest concern... if the Adriamycin should leak into my tissues around the port or tube, "Extravasation of doxorubicin hydrochloride can result in severe local tissue injury and necrosis requiring wide excision of affected area and skin grafting; immediately terminate drug and apply ice to affected area; do not administer IM or SC. Severe myelosuppression resulting in serious infection, septic shock, requirement for transfusions, hospitalization, and death may occur."
For sure, get it looked at. That's not a mild downside. It's interesting there were no "avoid strenuous activities" admonitions with your port.
I only had to be careful until the wounds were healed. Everything is sutured in place and under the skin. I had to sleep on my back surrounded by pillows to keep from rolling over for a week or so. It really felt weird at first, like I could feel that tube in my neck when I'd swallow... but I guess I got used to it. I have to keep the port covered with a bandage after a chemo session to help avoid any infection, especially with my blood counts so low.