Chemo Port locations???

[LILLIAN577]

Any ideas, suggestions? Arm, chest. Do  we have an option?

[beccasue51]

My sister has her portacath in her upper right chest where the other ladies have described.  They use it only for chemo because it does save the veins for other work.  She also receives post-chemo fluids for 36 hours at home.  We take care of spiking the bags.  At the end of the 36 hours, I flush the line with saline and heparin and my sister pulls it out.  I must say though, in her previous life she was a doctor and I'm very trainable.  It truly has made a great different in the whole process.

[gah_70]

If your mom gets a port, it will be in the chest.  A PICC line is used in the arm.  Upper right chest is the usual location, but sometimes they will put it in the left side.  I think a few ladies here have had left side ports.  It really does make chemo so much easier than digging for a vein every time.  I've had two ports, and both were in the upper right chest.  I just recently had the second one removed because there was so much scar tissue, it was pulling on it and making it hurt.  In fact, the skin still sticks out and looks as if it is still there.  But I'll deal with it because it really did make a huge difference for me.  My veins roll, and it would have been terrible to have to go poking and prodding for each treatment.  

Gail

[crab08]

mine is upper right chest.  has been working fine.

[marie3B]

Mine is in the upper right chest about 4 inches below the collar bone.   Nurses all say if given the choice we should get the power port since they can be used for scans, too.  My port was NEVER used the whole time I was in the hospital for surgery. That surprised me.  They stuck me all over, even in my neck on the left side during surgery.  My port looks ugly, but it doesn't bother me.   Marie