Ports/tell me your pain level after placement
Hi,
I work in dept that places ports using conscience sedation. we normally don't give pain scripts to our patients after port placement.
Then my docs put port in me. I had to send my kids into my dept later that day to pick up pain script for me. It really felt painful/ tender for at least a day. I had a left port and they are trickier to put in. take longer. and my right side was allready having issues from the mastectomy.
So if you'll could tell me your experiences-good and bad. I think I'll also call our past port patients to get a better feel to see if we're meeting there pain needs.
tell me side of port, pain that needed something besides tylenol/motrin,
thanks
Comments
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Hi Fran,
I had absolutely ZERO pain after my port was put in - it was on the right side, though.
Sorry to hear you had trouble with yours.
Karon0 -
Bard power port on right side. Soreness but no real pain. I was given pain meds but probably only took them for a day. Tiny nick of right lung which did not show up on x-ray. Two weeks later complete pneumothorax. Ugh!
Caryn0 -
I had quite a bit of pain after port placement. This was due to two factors, I believe. The first is that I am small and the port poked out considerably because it was stretching my skin. It was an obious lump in my upper chest. The second is that due to the location, it was a constant source of pressure. Bras, seat belts in the car, etc., all pressed on it. After a while, the pain ceased. I have a nasty looking scar there as a memory. I am sorry you have to go through this. ...... Tammy
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I personally believe smaller/petite people will have more pain.
sorry about your pneumo Caryn-those are very rare.
getting my port removed next week! can't wait
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Had power port put in left side. Absolutely no pain - didn't even take one Tylenol.
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I am very petite and thin. Does it depend on that type of port you have? The bard power port is triangular. All that can seen through my skin are 3 small bumps in a triangular pattern. It was placed in the recess between my shoulder and chest. As for the pneumo, the chances were 1%!!! Wish it had been the lottery instead.
Caryn0 -
I had my port placed on my right side on a Wednesday. Had my first AC tx the following Friday. No real pain after the placement other than expected soreness. I think I might have taken some Tylenol to sleep. Even though I was a bit sceptical about using it so soon after placement, there was very little discomfort during that fist tx.
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I had an AngioDynamics Smart Port on the right side. I went to the hospital / day surgery to have it put in and I was not awake. I was a little sore the next day, but no real pain. It worked fine and I had no troubles with it. I had chemo first, so I was able to have it removed the same day of UMX. Kudos to my BS she was very good, (my UMX/port removal was just this past August) you have to look to find the port scar.
It was some what annoying, just because I knew it was there, not because of pain. (My biggest gripes were the DONT'S...don't kayak, don't do inverted yoga positions, don't sleep on that side...I know minor annoyances in the grand scheme of things.)
fredntan...yeah! You are getting yours out next week. I'll do the happy dance with you!
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power port on left, slender build and high pain threshold. lots of tenderness for few days, esp day after. might have used left over percocet first night. No pain w removal.
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Got my port put in on Tuesday, power port on right side. Was pretty painful and sore, needed vicodin for the first day to be able to help me sleep. It was used 2 days after placement and no real pain then
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Hmm, my power port is in my left arm. I am slimish but with skinny arms, it sticks out considerably. I couldnt believe how painful it was for several days. The bruising was amazing, very colorful and wide spread. I certainly needed pain meds for a few days. I have read on these boards too plenty of people who had plenty of pain with their ports regardless of placement. The doc who put it in told me I wouldnt need any pain meds, so glad I had them anyway, I often think of seeing him again and telling him how wrong he was! However, I am very glad to have the port even though I will still have days when it bothers me.
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I had a Bard power port placed on my right side during ALND surgery on my left side. I would have been all right without anything more than Advil for pain, but since my BS prescribed vicodin for the ALND, I was glad I had the extra pain medication. I had the port removed four days ago. Again, I would have been all right without vicodin, but since I had them, I took them for two days and it helped.
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My Power Port was put in on Wed morn and started A/C on Thurs afternoon. It's on left.
It was put in in OR at the hospital and I was knocked out (at least supposed to be - I woke up twice on them - I warned them - from past experiences I'm hard to keep knocked out. LOL). Dr gave me a script for oxycodon. I didn't think I needed it but Hubby insisted I take it when we got home so I did, then at 6 pm he decided I needed another one so humored him and I took it BUT when he woke me at midnight to take another one - flately refused. 2 days after implant I was back riding and giving lessons - did let Hubby and Son do all the barn chores for 2 weeks though. It was a bit tender as would a cut about 1 1/2" long be. I've never had any discomfort from bra straps, seat belts or anything.
My port's been in 2 1/2 years and will be for another 2 1/2. It doesn't bother me at all so being IBC it makes sense to me to keep it in place 'just in case'. Also I like going to the monthly flushes as makes me feel like I'm still actively doing 'something' and I get to see my PA's RN so if I have any questions I can ask her in person and if need be she'll grab my PA.>Diagnosis: 8/7/2009, IBC0 -
I had the port installed with my lumpectomy surgery, and never needed more than horse pill ibuprofen for any of this. I don't remember the port being more than a bit sore.
Getting it removed was a piece of cake too. Just in an office with the general area numbed. I drove myself home.
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Had a Bard Power Port on the right side. I'm very thin and they weren't sure I had enough tissue for one of those, but went ahead with it. You could see those three dots through my skin from a fair distance. But no pain at all with either placement or removal.
Fran, I'm glad you're thinking about this. I think sometimes we forget that the experience of most people is not necessarily the experience of all people. The most undertreated pain I have ever had in my life was after removal of an unusually ingrown toenail. I fully understand that prescription of unnecessary pain medications is a problem in a lot of ways, but I also fully believe that people need to have a contact number so if they do have an unusual problem they can get in touch with somebody about it.
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Hi there. I had my port put in yesterday on the left side. I asked for and got Percocet in recovery but the dr only prescribed tramadol plus Tylenol. That is doing nothing. My whole collarbone is sooooo sore. To complicate matters I have extreme pain and soreness on my right side side from SNB on 2/27 so I am basically lying on my back and miserable. I love, love, love my surgeon but she was dismissive of the pain on both. Saying it will just take time.
I also had the complication of being sick. I had felt nauseous and my legs were killing me since the day before but only had a temp of 99.4. By the time surgery was over and I had been home for four hours it was 103! It is back down around 100 now.
I digress. Point is port is painful as hell. I think I am just going to go back to ibuprofen and a Xanax to sleep tonight.0 -
Karri-I think if your temp goes above 101 or doesn't go down you really should call one of your docs-usually the one that put the port in. I'm sorry your in pain. left sided ports take more manipulation and are just harder to put in. I really think your pain will be better tomorrow. and almost nothing by monday.
I think I should try to do real paper survey to evaluate pain. Does age or body size make difference in pain? I really don'tlike docs dismissing pain like its nothing.
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I just got mine yesterday under "twilight sedation". It was placed in the left side. Lots if soreness, bruising, and swelling near my collarbone. It doesn't help that my 6 month old keeps bumping it. I've been taking ibuprofen, which helps a little. I'm hoping the tenderness gets better before chemo starts on Tuesday.
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Power Port left side, low (by request). Felt like I'd been hit by a truck for a week. Had a sore throat feeling where the catheter was in my neck, couldn't sleep on that side for 6 months. I think I was prescribed something decent but I was working and couldn't take more than ibuprofen and be coherent!
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My port is in upper right chest. I was absolutely miserable after my surgery especially at night for about two weeks. I didn't take pain meds because I don't like to take them, but my recovery from that surgery was awful. In contrast, I had no pain from my lumpectomy nor my mastectomy. None at all. I actually still have my port in even though I haven't been on infused chemo for quite awhile. Since IBC is so likely to recur, I left it in just in case because I didn't want to go through recovering from that surgery if I had to have one re-implanted later. At some point I'll get it out, but not just yet. My oncologist is taking me off Tykerb this summer after having been on it for 3 years and doesn't want the port to come out just in case. (We're both a little scared for me not to be on some kind of treatment but gonna give it a chance. I've been in non-stop treatment for 4 years.)
Oh, and by the way, I am definitely not skinny by any means so the person that thought that only skinny people would have the most pain isn't right.
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Fran yes we called both the bs and onco last night. They both said if it didn't go down with meds that I needed to go to the ER but luckily it did. The surgeon thinks (as do I) that I had something going on before surgery and the trauma of the surgery just exacerbated it. She prescribed antibiotics just in case but if it were something viral of course that wouldn't work.
I agree that there needs to be more done/studied about pain after. As much as they have dug for my veins, I have a pretty good threshold for pain do I don't feel like I am just being a wimp lol.
Nsmolen I saw your post on the chemo board as well. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. I cannot imagine how difficult that must be with a baby. Here's hoping both of us feel better before chemo in a couple of days.0 -
My port is on the left, I had a small amount of pain but not bad. It would be sensitive the day of treatment. I've had it for four years & most of the time I forget it's there. NJ
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Interesting - of the 3 IBCers who have replied so far, we all still have our ports.
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I was told that i would be "sore" for a few days after my port and would only need tylenol. Well what do you know, as soon as the anesthesia wore off and most especially the next day, I was in so much pain. I had pain turning my head and my chest was so tender and sore at the incision site. I had to take my left over percocet from my mastectomy to get by. Tylenol my butt!!!
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I had a power port on my right side. Gettng it was no problem--conscious sedation. Surgeon mentioned something about pain killers but didn't think i'd need them nor did I. Well, when I tried to get out of bed the next morning it was terribly painful as was getting back in bed. Like i'd been hit by a freight train. I had port put in on a Monday and was to have chemo the following Monday. I thought I would have a week of fun and going to the barn--well, forget it! I felt so ripped off--its still a sticking point for me. I sure wish someone could tell me why I had such a bad time with it. after about a week or so I was ok.
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Power port - left side - no pain - had it for three years - removal was fine - I took bus home afterwards - scar is minimal.
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No pain at all either during installment, after, or all through tx; port (power-port) on left side.
Claire
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Like everything else, the experience is different for each of us. For most it is relatively painless and not a major issue but for some it is quite awful.
Caryn0 -
Thanks for looking into this (though I'm sorry you have to go through this yourself). I made it through my bmx recovery with relatively little pain, so I was completely caught off guard when the port placement hurt like hell. I think perhaps it was sitting on a nerve or something, but by the time I got home (about an hour away), the pain meds had worn off and I was already reaching for the percocet. It took a good two weeks for it finally to settle down. I guess I just wish they had done a better job at warning about the possibility for pain beyond "just take a few Tylenol."
Good luck!
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Fran - This is a great question, and so thoughtful of you to try to improve the situation for others. I had my port put in on the left side while having surgery for ALND and clean margins on my right side. When I woke up, I was unable to move either arm due to extreme pain and it hurt to turn head. It was very scary to feel so helpless. Fortunately, my mom never left my side and I had someone to get a nurse and to scratch my nose. lol I think I was given morphine while still in the hospital, then discharged with Darvocet. My port was very uncomfortable for a long time, well after my ALND quit bothering me. But, I am very thin and even though my surgeon used the smallest port, it stuck out very obviously and was easily bumped & rubbed against.
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