Uh Oh Power Port

When I first started chemo two years ago this December, my doc highly suggested I have a "Power Port" put in my chest so that my frequent blood draws and chemo administrations will be less traumatic to the skin and it will be much easier for the nurses to access my blood without having to find a viable vein (I'm sure you're all familiar with the *poke* *poke* *poke* of a "shy vein"?). Basically, it's a catheter located just beneath the skin on the right side of my chest. So I had it put in immediately and I never had to begin chemo without it!

Last year, sometime around my second chemoembo, the port site got infected and they had to remove it. While that area healed and I finished a round of antibiotics to kill the infection (it worked, thank goodness!) they put a PICC line into my arm instead. That sucked. I don't want to go into details on what that is and why it sucked, just trust me it made my life very difficult. But they wouldn't put a new port anywhere in my chest until the former site healed up.

It's been fine and beautiful ever since! All the nurses here and at MD Anderson applaud me for having a Power Point because it not only makes my life easier but it also makes their life easier, of course. I've had a successful blood draw on the first try every time ever since.

Earlier this Summer Pete and I and the nurses started to notice a blueish-blackish bump pushing against the underside of the skin right in the middle of the port. The nurses just assumed it was some strange result (maybe a scab? it takes me FOREVER to heal since chemo began!) from accessing the site so often for so long. I asked Dr. G (the same surgeon who did my chemoembo put in this port as well as the first one) about it in July and he said the skin tissue is thinning out in that area on top of the port because of being accessed so frequently with chemo and that it's a natrual and common result. To keep it from rubbing against clothing or anything else and then possibly pushing all the way through my skin (making it more suseptible to infection and/or bleeding) to keep a corn pad (for feet) stuck over it. I've been diligent with doing that ever since.

But then last night I noticed it looked and felt different. Pete and I examined it closely and realized that it has just now and just barely protruded through the skin. Just a tiny part. I cleaned it well, put a new corn pad and bandaid over it, then sent an email to all my docs, Dr. G, and Nurse Gari.

I just got an email from Gari saying it needs to be removed ASAP to prevent infection so he's trying to reach Dr. G to arrange for its removal tomorrow!

It will be done through conscious sedation (just like the chemoembo) so no eating a few hours beforehand but he says it probably won't happen until midday or early afternoon so I'm safe to eat breakfast and then wait. I'll send Pete off to work (he goes in at 5am!) and if I can get this taken care of tomorrow afternoon, I'll call him home and we'll head back to the hospital.

It's really very minor surgery, it just hurts is all. Dr. G likes me so hopefully he'll agree to not only remove this one but also put in a new one on the other side of my chest at the same time! I will NOT have another PICC line! I'd rather suffer through the burning and itching side effects of getting chemo through my arm for a while until he will agree to put one in on the other side! (I bet he'll do it tomorrow, though.)

Just wanted to let ya'll know that's going on. Don't panic. No worries. I started to panic last night but then I quickly realized that A) there's nothing I could do about it at 10pm, B) I was not bleeding at all so that was good and C) if it did start bleeding overnight, I would go straight to the ER and try to explain all this to them because the ER we use is NOT at UCH so they'll not be used to this at all! Worst case is that it gets infected but I'm taking good care of it so it should be okay at least for a day or so if needed. I'm keeping an eye on my email for more replies from Gari and also gave him my phone number to call if he hears anything before I get online in the morning.

We'll keep you posted, too.