My Healing Buddy
I have a new addition to my body as I go THROUGH my healing sessions, meet my port!
A port is something that doctors highly suggest if you have multiple healing sessions as part of your treatment plan. A port is more reliable than the veins in your arm as you don’t want to overuse those and trust me, you need access to your veins a lot!
Overusing your veins can be super painful and increases your risk of infection as well. Too many vein pokes can also lead to blown veins and we definitely don’t want that.
My port was placed on September 5th in Rochester. Tim came with me for the day as I needed a driver for the way home. Oddly enough when we were watching an informational video about ports beforehand, Tim saw a familiar face. A girl he used to work with at UW-Eau Claire. He shared that she had a form of rare cancer and was a radiant, bright light. She has since lost her battle with cancer but it was so amazing to see someone from our alma mater discussing her experience with ports. It’s also just a reminder that my husband literally knows someone everywhere we go (and if he doesn’t he will make a new friend!)
The port placement was a fairly easy procedure and I was surprised that I wouldn’t need to undergo full anesthesia for the process. They just put me in a twilight sedation where I was still awake, and could communicate, but I was in a dreamy-like state and wouldn’t remember anything. It was then super easy to wake up and walk right out of there! I’m a fan. Plus, no post-anesthesia constipation is an exceptional win for this girl!
Right when I got my port it took a little getting used to, especially with sleeping. I had a few nights where I couldn’t seem to get comfy and pulled a lot of muscles in my back. Thank goodness for my massage therapist, Katy! I also had a severe allergic reaction to the Band-Aids that they used and ended up getting hives all over several parts of my body that lasted for weeks. There is always something, I tell ya.
My port is always used at least two times per week right now, one time for lab work and one time for the treatment itself. Every week I have a port draw where I get labs done to “qualify for treatment”. You need to make the right counts each week otherwise you are not eligible to receive your infusion and may need to wait a week or two. The port has also been used when I have been in the ER, admitted to the hospital, or just needed some extra fluids for hydration. It’s a handy little deal and is totally saving my arm (yes, arm - I only have good veins on my right arm) from having tons of pokes and prods.
The port freaks Tim out so much so I like to make him touch it every once and a while. Hehe. As one of my nurse explains, “our minds don’t like when outside things are inside and inside things are outside.” Essentially the port sits on my chest and is visible to the outside, but it’s connected to a main artery, so it can be used to pull blood out of me, or push things into me!
I’ve been told by other survivors that they are actually sad when it’s time to get their port removed, it’s been like their little buddy or friend throughout all of treatment and has been there to make life easier. I’ve also heard of many people getting tattoos where the incision scars are left behind, so if I feel inspired to do something like that I may - just a beautiful reminder of what the port helped me do - live a longer life! That’s definitely a big deal and worthy of a tattoo if you ask me!
Overall I’m super happy with my decision to get a port. Since it’s been colder months here in the Midwest it’s really easy to cover it up with a v neck or sweater, but honestly come next spring I will be happy to rock it loud and proud!
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Now with every outfit decision I make I no longer ask myself “Is this stylish?” my more important question is":
“Okay, can I access my port?”
Until next time!
Xo, Breanna
