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Did anyone have a portacath for chemo?
My sister had breast cancer (stage 2) and finished her rounds of chemo last year. She is on tamoxifen. She had a portacath (sp?) put into her vein in her chest. She has asked her doctors numerous times to have it removed but her oncologist thinks it should stay in. It is causing her discomfort and she doesn't have time to take off work to get it flushed every 6 weeks. She has called her primary gatekeeper about this but now that dr. won't answer her calls. She has an HMO.
Can anyone tell me (us) how long this catheter should be in the chest? What happens if you don't flush it? How can she get a doctor to order it out?? Are there other ways to get chemotherepy besides the catheter if she should relaspe in the future?
Can anyone tell me (us) how long this catheter should be in the chest? What happens if you don't flush it? How can she get a doctor to order it out?? Are there other ways to get chemotherepy besides the catheter if she should relaspe in the future?
I had a portocath for 8 years! I had it for metastatic breast cancer. I'm also a nurse! I kept asking my Oncologist how long the line was good for and that it had been in for 8 years!!!! I always got the response that as long as it still works and we can use it!!!!!!! Well guess what it finally developed a leak that I could feel when they flushed it so they decided it was time to take it out.... Well they tried but it was so calcified in place it broke and I then went to interventional radiology where they tried via my femoral vein to get out the part that was stuck right above my heart!!!!! With no success I came home only to receive a call from my surgeon that night saying she had discussed my case with CV surgery and the IR doctors and the only way to get it out would be OPEN HEART SURGERY!!!!!!! I said no thanks! So I wouldn't keep a portocath any longer than necessary!!!!!!!!!
Then, with the restrictions of the HMO, I guess your sister will have to get that doctor motivated to have the cath removed. And, since having a cath removed is obviously not high on the priority list of medical care, your sister will have to be more persistent... and insist on it's removal.
If the doctor tries to blow her off again, remind him that your sister has been waiting for sometime and she would like to have the cath removed and get back to a normal life as soon as possible.
Good luck.
If the doctor tries to blow her off again, remind him that your sister has been waiting for sometime and she would like to have the cath removed and get back to a normal life as soon as possible.
Good luck.
Hi,
My sister is going again today to the oncologist and we'll see what he says. The last two times she asked to have it removed he said.."ok, next visit, we'll talk about it".
This is no way to treat a patient. And if a person is of legal age they have the right to refuse treatment or medical protocal.
And everything has to go through a gatekeeper dr. also because she's on an HMO.
My sister is going again today to the oncologist and we'll see what he says. The last two times she asked to have it removed he said.."ok, next visit, we'll talk about it".
This is no way to treat a patient. And if a person is of legal age they have the right to refuse treatment or medical protocal.
And everything has to go through a gatekeeper dr. also because she's on an HMO.
Port-o-caths are usually in for the duration of treatment and no longer.
The use of those caths facilitates the infusion process of the chemotherapy and I think that's why medical personnel "push" to have them placed in patients... it simply makes their job easier. But, it's certainly not mandatory to have them.
There is an alternative.
In my mom's case, her oncologist wanted her to have a port-o-cath inserted while she had chemotherapy to treat her Hodgkin's Disease.
But, she refused... as she didn't want to be cut; plus, she was concerned about the high incidence of infection that is associated with having these caths.
Anyway, her chemo drugs were infused through the veins in her arms. The only problem with that was that injecting 12 cycles of chemo caused her veins to collapse. And, it takes about a year for the veins to recover to where they're back to normal.
As for not flushing the cath... infection is the main concern. And, when one has an impaired immune system, as is the case with Cancer, one is very prone to infections.
So, that's why the cath needs to be flushed.
As for having one removed... why not ask the caregivers or the facility that inserted the cath about having it removed. Since they put it in; I'm sure that they're capable of taking it out. Tell them that your sister's chemo treatments have been completed and she's ready to have the cath removed. If doctor's approval is needed, they'll tell you... and, if that's the case, maybe, they could have more success in contacting your sister's doctor to get the necessary approval.
Best wishes to your sister.
The use of those caths facilitates the infusion process of the chemotherapy and I think that's why medical personnel "push" to have them placed in patients... it simply makes their job easier. But, it's certainly not mandatory to have them.
There is an alternative.
In my mom's case, her oncologist wanted her to have a port-o-cath inserted while she had chemotherapy to treat her Hodgkin's Disease.
But, she refused... as she didn't want to be cut; plus, she was concerned about the high incidence of infection that is associated with having these caths.
Anyway, her chemo drugs were infused through the veins in her arms. The only problem with that was that injecting 12 cycles of chemo caused her veins to collapse. And, it takes about a year for the veins to recover to where they're back to normal.
As for not flushing the cath... infection is the main concern. And, when one has an impaired immune system, as is the case with Cancer, one is very prone to infections.
So, that's why the cath needs to be flushed.
As for having one removed... why not ask the caregivers or the facility that inserted the cath about having it removed. Since they put it in; I'm sure that they're capable of taking it out. Tell them that your sister's chemo treatments have been completed and she's ready to have the cath removed. If doctor's approval is needed, they'll tell you... and, if that's the case, maybe, they could have more success in contacting your sister's doctor to get the necessary approval.
Best wishes to your sister.
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