Okay, this port placement surgery was unexpectedly significant!
In my mind, it was just a step on the way to chemo. I didn't really think of it as a surgery in itself.
Mostly it's just a lot more painful than I imagined. The oncology nurse did say that I might want to use any leftover oxycodone, so maybe the pain should not have been a surprise. I think I figured, since I got lucky with a relatively pain-free DMX, maybe I'd get lucky with this port placement too. Boy, was I wrong!!
It's a stinging pain. I took 2 doses of Tylenol (1000 mg), and it helped. I even pulled out my wedge pillow again because it hurt so much to lie flat. It also hurt trying to get up from a lying down position.
Anyway, here's how the procedure went.
Checked into radiology. When I got called, the nurse said that Ken would be more comfortable in the waiting room, so he stayed behind. In retrospect, there was a chair in the prep area, and it would have been nice if Ken could have come in with me.
I was taken to a kind of multi-purpose prep area. The nurse took my vitals and gave me an IV, I think for antibiotics, which she said was just standard procedure.
When I got my sentinel lymph node biopsy, I picked up on inconsistent chatter in Facebook support groups about how you shouldn't get blood drawn, injections, or blood pressure taken using the arm that had lymph nodes removed. Some people said that if you had lymph nodes taken from both sides, you're supposed to use alternate locations, like a leg for blood pressure. Mostly these precautions are meant to prevent lymphedema. I specifically asked both my NP and breast surgeon about these concerns (though it looks like I forgot to mention it in my blog posts...), and they both said that those recommendations are outdated. This informational page from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center agrees. The only caveat is if you did have lymph nodes taken from both sides, you should "talk with your doctor" about which arm is best for blood draws and injections.
All this to say, since my surgery, I've been careful to get blood drawn and blood pressure taken from my left arm, which had only 1 lymph node removed (compared to my right, which had 5). But for the port placement, I used my right arm again for the first time. I asked for the IV to be put in my left arm, but that meant that during the surgery itself, they used my right arm to monitor my blood pressure. I was a little nervous about it, but it was fine.
Going in, I wanted to ask for the port to be placed on my left side. I figured, since my right side is still bruised and numb, maybe I should give it a break, and spread out the discomfort, especially since I'm right-handed. When talking with the doctor who would perform the surgery, he said ports are usually placed on the right, but maybe 1 in 10 cases he puts it on the left. I wanted to make sure that medically speaking, there weren't any additional risks if I had my port on the left, since it was only comfort that was driving my preference. I wavered, but he reassured me and just said, "Let's put it on the left."
I walked into the operating room and hopped up on the table. Five people busied themselves around me, including the doctor and 2 nurses. I think the other 2 people were imaging technicians.
I lay face up with an IV in my left arm, blood pressure and oxygen being monitored on right arm, and 3 electrodes attached to my torso to monitor my heart. I got oxygen through my nose, and they covered me with surgical drape sheets from the neck down.
The doctor cleaned the area. I felt the painful pinch of the injection of local anesthesia. I had read that some patients get general anesthesia for this procedure, but I was wide awake the whole time. I could feel some pressure and pulling sensations.
I don't know for sure, but I think the surgery lasted maybe half an hour, maybe a bit longer. At one point, the nurse saw something on the heart monitor. She said the catheter part of the port was "tickling" my heart; it was too close, and the doctor would have to reposition it. The doctor asked the technicians for a picture of my heart, then a "live view". He pushed and pulled on the port for a bit, then asked for another picture and live view. He pushed and pulled again, asked again for a picture and live view, and was satisfied.
When the surgery was finished, the nurse went to get Ken so he could sit wtih me until I was cleared to go home.
To place the port, there are actually two incisions, one below the collar bone for the port itself, and one above the collar bone at the base of the neck. Immediately after the procedure, the area was still numb, so I hardly felt any discomfort at all. But a couple hours later, presumably when the local anesthesia wore off, the top incision really hurt!! Even with Tylenol, if I so much as sniffed my nose, it hurt.
By the time I went to bed, both incision sites hurt, especially if anything touched the area.
There is dressing on both the port and the incision above it. I can remove them in 2 days.
In my mind, it was just a step on the way to chemo. I didn't really think of it as a surgery in itself.
Mostly it's just a lot more painful than I imagined. The oncology nurse did say that I might want to use any leftover oxycodone, so maybe the pain should not have been a surprise. I think I figured, since I got lucky with a relatively pain-free DMX, maybe I'd get lucky with this port placement too. Boy, was I wrong!!
It's a stinging pain. I took 2 doses of Tylenol (1000 mg), and it helped. I even pulled out my wedge pillow again because it hurt so much to lie flat. It also hurt trying to get up from a lying down position.
Anyway, here's how the procedure went.
Checked into radiology. When I got called, the nurse said that Ken would be more comfortable in the waiting room, so he stayed behind. In retrospect, there was a chair in the prep area, and it would have been nice if Ken could have come in with me.
I was taken to a kind of multi-purpose prep area. The nurse took my vitals and gave me an IV, I think for antibiotics, which she said was just standard procedure.
When I got my sentinel lymph node biopsy, I picked up on inconsistent chatter in Facebook support groups about how you shouldn't get blood drawn, injections, or blood pressure taken using the arm that had lymph nodes removed. Some people said that if you had lymph nodes taken from both sides, you're supposed to use alternate locations, like a leg for blood pressure. Mostly these precautions are meant to prevent lymphedema. I specifically asked both my NP and breast surgeon about these concerns (though it looks like I forgot to mention it in my blog posts...), and they both said that those recommendations are outdated. This informational page from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center agrees. The only caveat is if you did have lymph nodes taken from both sides, you should "talk with your doctor" about which arm is best for blood draws and injections.
All this to say, since my surgery, I've been careful to get blood drawn and blood pressure taken from my left arm, which had only 1 lymph node removed (compared to my right, which had 5). But for the port placement, I used my right arm again for the first time. I asked for the IV to be put in my left arm, but that meant that during the surgery itself, they used my right arm to monitor my blood pressure. I was a little nervous about it, but it was fine.
Going in, I wanted to ask for the port to be placed on my left side. I figured, since my right side is still bruised and numb, maybe I should give it a break, and spread out the discomfort, especially since I'm right-handed. When talking with the doctor who would perform the surgery, he said ports are usually placed on the right, but maybe 1 in 10 cases he puts it on the left. I wanted to make sure that medically speaking, there weren't any additional risks if I had my port on the left, since it was only comfort that was driving my preference. I wavered, but he reassured me and just said, "Let's put it on the left."
I walked into the operating room and hopped up on the table. Five people busied themselves around me, including the doctor and 2 nurses. I think the other 2 people were imaging technicians.
I lay face up with an IV in my left arm, blood pressure and oxygen being monitored on right arm, and 3 electrodes attached to my torso to monitor my heart. I got oxygen through my nose, and they covered me with surgical drape sheets from the neck down.
The doctor cleaned the area. I felt the painful pinch of the injection of local anesthesia. I had read that some patients get general anesthesia for this procedure, but I was wide awake the whole time. I could feel some pressure and pulling sensations.
I don't know for sure, but I think the surgery lasted maybe half an hour, maybe a bit longer. At one point, the nurse saw something on the heart monitor. She said the catheter part of the port was "tickling" my heart; it was too close, and the doctor would have to reposition it. The doctor asked the technicians for a picture of my heart, then a "live view". He pushed and pulled on the port for a bit, then asked for another picture and live view. He pushed and pulled again, asked again for a picture and live view, and was satisfied.
When the surgery was finished, the nurse went to get Ken so he could sit wtih me until I was cleared to go home.
To place the port, there are actually two incisions, one below the collar bone for the port itself, and one above the collar bone at the base of the neck. Immediately after the procedure, the area was still numb, so I hardly felt any discomfort at all. But a couple hours later, presumably when the local anesthesia wore off, the top incision really hurt!! Even with Tylenol, if I so much as sniffed my nose, it hurt.
By the time I went to bed, both incision sites hurt, especially if anything touched the area.
There is dressing on both the port and the incision above it. I can remove them in 2 days.
Oh gosh, I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing so much discomfort and pain. I hope it gets better with each day.
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