Chemo Ports

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inorganic8
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:13 pm

Chemo Ports

Postby inorganic8 » Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:23 am

DH has a lot of trouble with ports. He had one installed that never worked right. The replaced it with a power port. It worked great for about six months. Now, they can't get bloody return from it. Anyone else have port problems?
Wife to DH with CRC
Stage IV Diagnosis 1/27/17, Mets to Liver, Omentum, Peri
KRAS Mutation, G12, MSS
Folfirinox 2/8/17
Folfiri 6/14/17
Nov. scan - disease progression
1/24/18 15-hour HIPEC surgery.
June 2018 It's back, starting Stivarga
Aug. 2018 stopping Stivarga
Sep. 2018 clinical trial of Keytruda and ibrutanib
Dec. 2018 disease progression, stopped trial
Jan. 2019 small bowel obstruction and surgery
Mar. 2019 clinical trial TAK-164
May 2019 deteriorating rapidly
June 12, 2019 At Peace

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Robino1
Posts: 463
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:09 pm
Facebook Username: Robin.lawthers
Location: Florida

Re: Chemo Ports

Postby Robino1 » Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:09 am

I don't generally but a gentleman who started chemo the same day as I, had a problem with getting blood from his. He was sent to have some kind of test to see if the chemo would go through the port correctly.

Turns out stuff will go in but his body creates a 'flap' (?) at the end of the line that keeps things from coming back out of the line. He gets his blood draw from the vein and can still use the port for the chemo.

I wish I could remember what they called it. See if they can test that the port works for stuff going in.

Sometimes they have a problem with mine but if I lay down, when they do have a problem, it fixes whatever issue the port has.
Last edited by Robino1 on Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
At 54 2014 1st colonoscopy colon cancer detect
Colon resect margins clear. No chemo Stage II
2017
Distend abd, pain in intestines.
CT scan seeding & Ascites
Lap diag - cancer on the omentum
CEA 217; 219
FOLFOX started 6/17
CEA 202
8/29/17 CT melting of tumor.
Latest CT scan shows 2 new tumors and return of ascites.
CEA: (2017)9/30 -109; 10/12 -99.1; 11/4 -90.7; 11/30 -70.7; 12/14 -83.4; (2018)1/4 -73.3; 2/1-84.2; 89.2; 89.8; 88.5; 81.8: 93.5; 107; 119
BRAF V600e

Volfan
Posts: 73
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:58 am

Re: Chemo Ports

Postby Volfan » Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:20 am

I've seen other people not be able to draw blood from their port but able to get chemo through it. Every so often with mine I have to lay back and raise my arm for them to be able to draw blood.
Stage IV Rectal cancer with liver mets
Oxaliplatin, avastin, 5fu
48 yr dude

veckon
Posts: 131
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:44 am

Re: Chemo Ports

Postby veckon » Wed Aug 16, 2017 10:21 am

I love my port. Makes blood work and then treatment so much easier and less uncomfortable for long periods. Not to mention, Oxaliplatin can be hard on veins. The only time I had an issue getting blood return in the port was oddly immediately before attempted liver surgery in March. So they had me get up and dance a jig and soon I started to bleed. It was odd, never had any issues since.
27 yo male
Metastatic rectal cancer diagnosed 12/16
Liver metastases and peritoneal carcinomatosis
Lynch syndrome, MSI-H
Failed liver resection 3/17
FOLFOX6 12/16 - 05/17
Keytruda 5/17 - present
@Memorial Sloan Kettering

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mypinkheaven
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Re: Chemo Ports

Postby mypinkheaven » Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:05 am

inorganic8 wrote:DH has a lot of trouble with ports. He had one installed that never worked right. The replaced it with a power port. It worked great for about six months. Now, they can't get bloody return from it. Anyone else have port problems?


I had a fibrin sheath build up at the end of the catheter. They would clear it with TPA. They didn't like doing that every time, so I just had the port replaced after only 6 months. They can do an angiogram to make sure chemo is going to the right place if they can't get a blood return, but the flush goes through. My nurse didn't like that idea because she felt she couldn't be sure the catheter was in the right place without a blood return and you can't be having an angiogram every infusion.
MSS, KRAS Wild NRAS Mutated
9/2012 CRC IIB Lft Colectomy 0 lymph nodes 0 Chemo
10/2013 CT clear
11/15 CEA 2.7 to 4.6
11/15 Spread to uterus. Hysterectomy
2/16 Pelvic radiation 25, brachytherapy 3
4/16 - 6/16 Xeloda
6/16 CT Several lung nodules 5 mm
8/16 CT Nodules still present. Most stable. Some growth
11/16 Transfer to UCSD Moores
12/16 Folfox + Avastin failed
2/17 Folfiri + Erbitux
8/17 5FU+Erbitux No 5FU bolus
7/18 Spread to vagina
6/18 Folfiri + Avastin + Trametinib
6/18 CEA dropping

Volfan
Posts: 73
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 7:58 am

Re: Chemo Ports

Postby Volfan » Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:14 am

veckon wrote:I love my port. Makes blood work and then treatment so much easier and less uncomfortable for long periods. Not to mention, Oxaliplatin can be hard on veins. The only time I had an issue getting blood return in the port was oddly immediately before attempted liver surgery in March. So they had me get up and dance a jig and soon I started to bleed. It was odd, never had any issues since.


I hope the nurses ask me to dance a jig. I'm going to bust out some MC Hammer U Can't Touch This. :D
Stage IV Rectal cancer with liver mets
Oxaliplatin, avastin, 5fu
48 yr dude


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