Hey guys,
Just out of curiosity, I have some questions about ports. I've seen them from a distance on other cfers and have been told every once in a while that I should think about getting one. Right now, I'm not hospitalized enough to need one (only about 1-2x a year), so I'm not seriously considering it, but it IS on my mind.
I understand what it does, but how is it cared for? How does it work?
I've been told that when it comes time to getting one, there are better places to get one than others (reasons being health, cosmetic, comfort, etc.). I understand that, but I kind of took it as it almost being like a permanent PICC line or IV. There's always a dressing (needing changed often), you always have to flush it, you always have to watch swimming/exercising/doing strenuous work, etc. It even LOOKED like that when I glanced at other cfers' ports. From reading several different posts, I'm getting the impression that I'm wrong, lol. "It needs to be "accessed" and usually only a nurse can do it"...what? "You only need tape (or dressings, rather) when it's accessed"...why? What the heck does it do when it's not being "accessed"? I'm assuming it's only "accessed" when one is needing IVs...
Any input would be great! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I feel kinda stupid for not knowing the answers to these questions....
Just out of curiosity, I have some questions about ports. I've seen them from a distance on other cfers and have been told every once in a while that I should think about getting one. Right now, I'm not hospitalized enough to need one (only about 1-2x a year), so I'm not seriously considering it, but it IS on my mind.
I understand what it does, but how is it cared for? How does it work?
I've been told that when it comes time to getting one, there are better places to get one than others (reasons being health, cosmetic, comfort, etc.). I understand that, but I kind of took it as it almost being like a permanent PICC line or IV. There's always a dressing (needing changed often), you always have to flush it, you always have to watch swimming/exercising/doing strenuous work, etc. It even LOOKED like that when I glanced at other cfers' ports. From reading several different posts, I'm getting the impression that I'm wrong, lol. "It needs to be "accessed" and usually only a nurse can do it"...what? "You only need tape (or dressings, rather) when it's accessed"...why? What the heck does it do when it's not being "accessed"? I'm assuming it's only "accessed" when one is needing IVs...
Any input would be great! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I feel kinda stupid for not knowing the answers to these questions....