Saturday 6 September 2014

Port-a-Kath

That is me. I've done it. After eight or nine months with a PICC line, I gave up and asked for a Port-a-Cath. I found the dressing constantly itchy. We tried paper dressings and iodine, but still I scratched. The new PICC dressing became available, and it too caused itching. As much as I enjoyed the nurse's visits I was getting, I was done with the PICC.

I asked for it at my last oncology appointment, and within eight days I had the port in. Now it is the stitches that are itching! Is there no respite for me? A gripper, also known as mini-loc, is on place, with dressing over it for another week. It will come out after my Herceptin treatment next Friday.

I was not pleased to learn that the port can't be used for a CT scan, like a PICC can. So on Thursday I had an IV and a port put in and a PICC removed, only to have another IV put in on Friday for the CT. That plus the blood tests, makes for some bruising.

If you're keeping score, that is now three PICCs and two ports. Will this be the last? I told the doctor who inserted the port about the bruising and infection I had with the last port. He assured me those were unusual experiences and that it would be very unlikely for me to have trouble with the new port. Here's hoping it works for many years.