This past Thursday in preparation for the start of chemotherapy on Monday, my surgeon implanted a port-catheter (sometimes called a portacath) just under the skin right below my left collarbone. (Note: He really undersold the discomfort and pain I would feel for a few days.)
Once treatment begins my oncologist and his staff will use this port-catheter to draw blood for the complete blood count (CBC) test and to administer the chemo. From my personal perspective, the big advantage of the portacath is the repeated avoidance of IV insertion into the veins of my arms and the top of my hands. Medically, there are some more sound reasons we’ll get to shortly. Below is a picture of the actual port I received … (does it come in any other colors?)
This explanation is straight from Wikipedia and does a good job of describing the above picture, “A port consists of a reservoir compartment (the portal) that has a silicone bubble for needle insertion (the septum), with an attached plastic tube (the catheter) … The septum is made of a special self-sealing silicone rubber; it can be punctured hundreds of times before it weakens significantly.” The septum is that black circle you see in the middle of the port above. I know the whole thing actually looks like a little mouse. Well, the tail in the picture above is rigid. But basically they attach a flexible tube to it (the catheter – see picture below) which they then insert it into one of the central veins that delivers blood to your heart.
Apparently some main medical advantages of using a portacath under such a set-up is that administering medications via the port puts them directly into the large central veins instead of the smaller peripheral veins of most IVs and so the medications … in this chemotherapy … mixes more thoroughly in the blood … also diluting them so they are less harmful to your vascular system. So there are indeed some valid medical benefits beyond just avoiding the multiple needle pokes into your arms and hands …
So my clinician … or chemo nurse/technician … will access the port by inserting a special needle into the soft top … the port septum … for blood work and/or chemotherapy infusion. Later when the needle is extracted, the hope is that the silicone rubber of the septum will self-seal. This is very similar to what occurred when they took a needle biopsy from inside my lung … as they pulled the needle out, the lung immediately sealed up and healed … amazing!!!
Note: Most of the medical details above came out of the ‘Dignity Patient Guide’ I received with the port-catheter.
From what I have been able to learn, most folks go to the chemotherapy lab and have their entire injection done there with it lasting 5 -6 hours. They then on some predefined schedule return to the doctor to repeat the process. This continues for a number of months and then they redo the test that initially revealed the cancer to see if there is any reduction.
My process is going to be slightly different … I will go in the office for a 3-4 hour injection but then I will leave with come sort of pump (CADD pump possibly) that will continue to inject chemotherapy into my system for the next 48 hours. Then I will return to the doctor to have it removed. Initially we will repeat this process every two weeks for two months … then we will do some more CT scans to see what impact the chemotherapy … AND MORE IMPORTANTLY GOD … is having on the cancer. My understanding is that on average if the chemo is working the treatment runs 6-8 months … but that is simply an average.
So chemo starts on Monday for me … at this point my greatest apprehension is what side effects (if any as my encouraging wife Sheryl points out) I might encounter … and will it help slow down the cancer.
If you enjoyed some of the details and specifics of this post, you might enjoy some of the details and specifics of cancer and chemotherapy I shared earlier this week in the post ‘first insights into the cancer-chemo puzzle’.
Prayers appreciated … and watch for the updates.
Also – if anyone reading here has more insights, knowledge and experience regarding cathaports, chemotherapy and pump, please share what you know.
Thanks!
Bernie
Bernie, thank you for passing this information along. I didn’t know any of this.It gives me a better understanding of what you and my friends who have had cancer experience. I don’t have any advice. But you are in my prayers.
Rebecca. glad to hear you found the content of this post helpful. One of the reasons I write is to share the journey with other cancer warriors and those who care and encourage the, Your prayers are greatly appreciated … I can assure you that God answers them in ways big and small every day.
Be blessed IN Christ Jesus and His love!
Bernie
I ended up with a Hickman (after a PICC when first in the hospital and doing surgery beyond the simple PICC placement was too risky). I’ve got lousy vein access on a good day, and have had people tell me to ask my MD for one of these for Christmas. LOL I’ve accessed them when I worked as a nurse, and they do work well. IF they get clotted, they can get a zap of some de-clot juice, and be back working in no time
Thanks for sharing your personal experience as well as your professional insights. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed with my port-catheter … my chemo nurses always brag on how good my blood flow is when they are doing my blood work each treatment (and also asked which surgeon put it in). Thanks again for the comment!
Be blessed IN Christ Jesus, His love and His words!
Bernie
I’m glad the port is working for you. They are actually (IMO) safer since they are completely covered by skin when not accessed. My Hickman had a wound around it and had to be accessed. But, it got the job done. How much more time with the chemo for you?
In Him,
Jill
I’ve been on chemo a year and since it has spread from my colon to my lungs, my chemo will continue every two weeks for the rest of my life barring a miraculous touch by the hand of God … He carries me and strengthens me in the midst and the cancerous lung nodules are shrinking in density and size so the battle is being won …
Bernie
Chemo is so exhausting…I ‘just’ had it for 19 months (but a year of that was pills, at home). I hated having to show up for it. But whaddya do? I am so fortunate in that I got leukemia with a high cure rate. But getting it cured was hard.
I’m so glad to hear about the nodules shrinking ! PTL for that ! I know that I found so much peace because of my faith. During the hardest part in the hospital, I just sort of figured whatever God wanted, so be it. I wanted to live- but I knew where I’d be if I didn’t. I’ll meet you one day, Bernie ! We can go have lemonade with Billie Graham and Corrie Ten Boom ! That will be so cool
Jill, I so relate to everything you mentioned in your last comment. Yes, chemo is exhausting. In the hospital once they discovered the cancer, I got a sense from those around me (I was still all drugged up) that the time was short … and I came to the conclusion that even if that was indeed true … I could trust God totally and completely in it … I had a peace about it that drove those around me a bit crazy. A course a year later I sense God working thru this cancer to glorify himself … and I’m on board with that as well. Faith is not outcome based … faith is based on your trust IN God regardless of the outcome. And while a more difficult day may be out there in the future … in this moment, and even hopefully then, we do indeed praise the Lord! Count me in for the lemonade and conversation with the saints … looking forward to it! Bernie