Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

[Robino1]

I also use the lidocaine cream. I just use a little dab of it an hour before infusion is scheduled. I just put some plastic wrap over it. A very small square to cover the port.

Mine is on the left hand side of my upper chest, about 4-5 inches below my collar bone. It was sore and sensitive for about the 1st week or two. Now that I have had it since June, it is no big deal. No pain. I still use the cream though as I am afraid of it hurting. It doesn't bother me anymore when the seat belt goes across and lays on it. For a while it did.

I have no clue how big the needle is. I don't watch it going in. Kinda hard to watch because of where it is. I am prepared to have it in for a long time.

You will do fine.

[NHMike]

Thanks for the reassurances on the port install tomorrow. I'm supposed to be at the hospital at 7 AM so I'll get up around 4:30.

I ordered the Convatec Stoma Powder so I'm going with Convatec for now as it has been the best that I've tried so far (though that's only two things). I will eventually try the Coloplast Mio products when things quiet down.

[rockhound]

Thanks for the reassurances on the port install tomorrow. I'm supposed to be at the hospital at 7 AM so I'll get up around 4:30.

I ordered the Convatec Stoma Powder so I'm going with Convatec for now as it has been the best that I've tried so far (though that's only two things). I will eventually try the Coloplast Mio products when things quiet down.

Good luck tomorrow and nice that you are having success with the ileostomy - if it works, great (I never ended up trying Convatec stuff since the Coloplast worked allright). My port was installed the day before I started chemo- that was a little rough, but after a few weeks went by, all was good and by the time I had the port taken out, I hardly noticed it was around. Never used it for bloodwork, but it was great for the chemo..

[NHMike]

There was a huge cart at my surgeon’s office with Convatec supplies so I assume that they have some kind of arrangement as many will just keep using what they are used to and that’s what I’m doing so far. There are so many things to deal with that experimentation takes a back seat to setting up for adjuvant chemo.

[susie0915]

Good Luck today with port procedure.

[NHMike]

Port is installed and leaving in half an hour. Overall mostly painless. I do feel it though, when moving around.

I went in around 7 and was out before 11 walking out without a wheelchair. It was easy and fast with minimal pain (just a couple of needles). I have to take antibiotics for three days and have to avoid getting water on the port for three days. They gave me Fentynal and an anti-anxiety drug and they worked quite well. None of the fuzzy brain feeling and the effects were very gradual. I was awake but not far from sleep.

The mail-order pharmacy called and they will be sending out a 14-day supply of pills which should arrive on Monday which is a relief. It looks like I'll have to order these for every cycle which means that I should mark up my calendar with reminders.

[heiders33]

Congrats on the successful port placement! Definitely set up reminders, but also know that the mail order pharmacy will likely robocall you when it’s time to order new pills. That’s what they do with me anyway. I use Briova Rx.

[NHMike]

Congrats on the successful port placement! Definitely set up reminders, but also know that the mail order pharmacy will likely robocall you when it’s time to order new pills. That’s what they do with me anyway. I use Briova Rx.

That's who we use as well. They did send me a reminder today but I'd like to get the pills a week ahead of time; not a day or two ahead of time. I'm not sure whether or not that is realistic but I may just call them first a week ahead of time instead of waiting for the reminder from them. Shipping can easily get delayed due to all of the holiday shopping at this time of the year or due to bad weather.

[Aqx99]

Port is installed and leaving in half an hour. Overall mostly painless. I do feel it though, when moving around.

I went in around 7 and was out before 11 walking out without a wheelchair. It was easy and fast with minimal pain (just a couple of needles). I have to take antibiotics for three days and have to avoid getting water on the port for three days. They gave me Fentynal and an anti-anxiety drug and they worked quite well. None of the fuzzy brain feeling and the effects were very gradual. I was awake but not far from sleep.

The mail-order pharmacy called and they will be sending out a 14-day supply of pills which should arrive on Monday which is a relief. It looks like I'll have to order these for every cycle which means that I should mark up my calendar with reminders.

Take something for pain this evening. The numbing agent they gave me lasted 10 hours, then I started to feel it. They poke and prod and tunnel through tissue to place the port, it will be sore for a bit. I made it through with Tylenol. Press N Seal works great to cover the surgical site when showering.

I had my port placed on a Friday and my first chemo the following Monday. The worst of it was developing heat rash under the bandage due to 100 degree temperatures that weekend. My steri-strips refused to come off on their own, so after 2 weeks I finally used some of my adhesive remover from my ostomy supplies to get them off. The port felt a lot better after that because the strips had been pulling and making the area uncomfortable.

[NHMike]

Take something for pain this evening. The numbing agent they gave me lasted 10 hours, then I started to feel it. They poke and prod and tunnel through tissue to place the port, it will be sore for a bit. I made it through with Tylenol. Press N Seal works great to cover the surgical site when showering.

I had my port placed on a Friday and my first chemo the following Monday. The worst of it was developing heat rash under the bandage due to 100 degree temperatures that weekend. My steri-strips refused to come off on their own, so after 2 weeks I finally used some of my adhesive remover from my ostomy supplies to get them off. The port felt a lot better after that because the strips had been pulling and making the area uncomfortable.

Funny you should mention this. I worked for a few hours this afternoon and then felt really tired and went to take a nap and woke up a couple of hours later. I had some pain in the neck area (that's where I feel things - nothing in the chest). I came down to dinner on the table and didn't feel like eating. The sleepiness might be due to the antibiotics (I took Penicillin 25 years ago and slept for a day), only getting five hours of sleep last night, side-effects of the Fentynal or the other thing they gave me. But I feel like going back to sleep. There's less pain after sitting up for about ten minutes.

I don't know that we have any painkillers in the house outside of Aspirin (which I'm not supposed to take), and some old, powerful stuff. At any rate, I do feel some pain but don't think that I really need anything for it right now. Of course that could change later on. I was going to do a lot of walking and some weights this evening but I think that I'll skip that.

[O Stoma Mia]

... I'd like to get the pills a week ahead of time; not a day or two ahead of time. I'm not sure whether or not that is realistic..

Xeloda prescriptions are based on Body Surface Area, which in turn is based on current height and weight. Technically speaking, they are supposed to weigh you every three weeks, and if your weight has changed significantly then they have to recalculste your BSA and issue you a different prescription.

This means that you cannot legitimately renew your same prescription way in advance from one cycle to the next. There has to be a control between each cycle. Furthermore, your new prescription may have a different combination of 500mg and 150 mg Xeloda tablets, They use combinations of 500mg and 150mg tablets to reach your new, appropriate dose level at each cycle.

[susie0915]

Yes my xeloda was reduced due to weight loss. I think my oxi was also once, the xeloda 2-3 times.

[NHMike]

I took the bandage off yesterday afternoon (was supposed to be removed after one day), and I'm not supposed to get it wet for 72 hours (which is tomorrow morning at around 11:00 AM). I had a look at my chest this morning and noticed a partial ring around my breast that was pinkish. I assume that this was blood that was outside of the surgical field I can see the port sticking out a little and can feel it if I touch the skin around it. I also say the incision near my neck. The range of motion for my neck is decent now though I think that the limitation is still the neck incision and not the port.

I had some abs soreness yesterday afternoon and evening and am not sure what caused it. It's possible that it was walking quickly on the treadmill. I don't think that I lifted much in the way of heavy things before the abs were sore. They felt fine this morning so either muscle teardown and rebuilding or damage healed overnight. I've been very hungry and thirsty since the surgery - I think a reaction to the antibiotics. Took the last one this morning so hopefully things are back to normal tonight or tomorrow morning.

It was about 10 degrees outside when I woke up and we went grocery shopping. Lots of people sniffling and coughing there. I was bundled up and comfortable so I might be prepared for chemo on Wednesday.

[heiders33]

I sincerely hope that the cold sensitivity isn’t bad for you. It’s bad for me - it’s been two weeks since chemo and I still have it. But for others it seems to last only a few days. This round has been timed with a sustained freeze (I am also in the Northeast.) Really annoying, but at least I don’t have to sit in air conditioning. It’s meant that I can’t really exercise outside, though, except for walking from place to place. I have a scarf that I wrap around my face and warm winter gloves, but the freezing cold seems to penetrate everything.

[NHMike]

I sincerely hope that the cold sensitivity isn’t bad for you. It’s bad for me - it’s been two weeks since chemo and I still have it. But for others it seems to last only a few days. This round has been timed with a sustained freeze (I am also in the Northeast.) Really annoying, but at least I don’t have to sit in air conditioning. It’s meant that I can’t really exercise outside, though, except for walking from place to place. I have a scarf that I wrap around my face and warm winter gloves, but the freezing cold seems to penetrate everything.

My office is usually around 60-65 degrees so I need to bundle up all the time. My home ranges from 60-72 degrees. So it's likely going to be challenging for me too.

We have a warmup this week into the 40s on Tuesday - so we'll have a little relief.