Medi Port

[anonymous]

Hey everyone..here i am sitting here in the hospital. Its my 5th day and today i had the medi port surgery done. Im only in every 6 months but i seriously have no veins left lol. My question was to anyone with a port..how long does the pain last? My pain is so bad right now..that im on perocet and they just gave me morphine. I understand why it hurts now..but how long do i have to stand this!? <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

thanks

 

[anonymous]

my port hurt for about a week. i remember needing to cough but not wanting to because i was in so much pain! it goes soon and it becomes the best thing ever!!!!!

 

[kybert]

mine still hurts after 3 months, but i only needed painkillers for the first week.

 

[anonymous]

A little good news. After my surgery, I was only in pain for about 2-3 days. Whatever the pain, the port is worth it. I love mine, I've had it since Feb/98. Good Luck with you recovery.
Take care!!

Lynn 23 w/cf.

 

[anonymous]

I have had about 10 ports. The first two in the arms didn´t hurt more then a coupple of days.
When you get one in the chest it hurts a bit more and longer. In sweden we don´t have to be in the hospital after the surgery if we don´t want to. I never been offerd any painkillers.
The last one they put in my groin, that was the worst. It was really painful to walk about 2 weeks.
It´s worth the pain.
Port = no smarting pain in your blood vessels and less needels.

Hope you get better soon!

 

[AbsintheSorrow]

To the last poster... can I ask why in the world have you had 10 different ports?? Did they all get infected, or what?

 

[gstvixen]

Mine hurt for about 2 weeks after surgery...but the first few days were the worst (needed painkillers)
I also remember needing to cough but not wanting to bc I felt like my shoulder was going to rip apart!
hehe..yeah I can laugh about it now bc it was the best move I could have made, I hated getting PIC lines, and hep locks well there was no chance for that anymore...
Ports are so much easier!
Good Luck with your recovery!

How do all of your scars look now? I've had mine in for about 7 months now..and the scar is still huge!! and has not faded at all, do they normally fade?

 

[ladybug]

At what point do you decide a port is the best decision? I hate getting piccs too, but I'm only getting them about once a year (sometimes more if I have a rough year)... What is your opinion? Is it worth it for me? Do you have to have it accessed every month or so? Is that painful? Sorry for all the questions, I've just heard alot about ports lately and wondered what its all about.
To the first poster... I hope you're feeling better soon and your pain is going away. <img src="i/expressions/sun.gif" border="0">

 

[jaime]

I think about this alot too. I do not have a port. I still get PICC lines (about every 4 months for IVs) I get them put in in interventional radiology. The last one I got put in was in september and they had a really tough time of it. It eventually went in after about an hour. I fell like I'm reluctant to get a port just because I like to get my PICC removed when I'm done w/ my meds and not have to think about something permanently being in there. On the other hand, I do have PICC scars up and down the insides of my arms....not so cute!

 

[kybert]

my scar is fading pretty well. im using mederma cream and silicon strips on it. it still looks awful, but not as awful as it could be. i get my port clots assessed today. if the clots are still there im having mine out.

 

[anonymous]

one catheter was broken when they put it in, another one came lose from the port.
2 clots.
2 infections.
one time, the antibiotics leeked back outside the catheter (painfull).
I had two taken out due to pain, I´m really skinny there was no fat to protect it.
Bad luck I guess.
I had both a lung and a artery punctured during the surgerys.

My arterys on the upper body has a lot of clots now, I almost didn´t make the transplant list.


I put my first in when I was 17, now I´m 28.

Sorry about my english, I`m from Sweden.
Ginny

 

[gstvixen]

Let me say that I was totally oppossed to getting a port NO MATTER WHAT!

now, I have a port, lol...I decided to get one bc the PICC lines were getting really painful and harder to put in (like it would take them over and hour and my arms would be completely bruised)
since I knew the time had past for me getting hep-locks, the port was my only other choice. I will say that the pain is really bad after the surgery...but it goes away (eventually).
I get mine flushed every month to keep it from clotting. You CAN flush it yourself, but I don't do mine, a nurse comes out and does it for me (which only takes about 2 minutes total!!) It pinches with the initial poke, but doesn't really hurt that bad. Then its over..and I dont think about it for another month...
it's the best thing I could have gotten! when I get to the hospital I don't have to be there at 630am so I can wait for a PICC line, and I don't get all worked up over IF they can find a place to put an IV, and how much pain thats prolly going to cause. now, I go in when I want, the nurse gives one stick, and I'm done for the rest of that stay, all I have to worry about it eating alot!!
Hope this helps some!!