Chemo via Pic/picc line?

[Sea5]

Anyone had that? My dad’s port has continued to fail to work. : (

[Hidden]

I had a port for a little over seven months. Question. By failure do you mean blocked? If so, tells me that the RN is not properly flushing with saline before and after each infusion.

Typically once a surgeon installs, one is ready to receive an infusion immediately.

GD

[Sea5 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Gourd, they couldn’t get blood return after multiple attempts, so they did a port study and the surgeon indignantly said “go get your chemo!”...while the cancer center folks said, there’s NO way they’d give chemo into the port, if there wasn’t blood return to the port. Apparently a bit of scar tissue/ a fibrin sheath latches on to the end of the port and blocks blood flow. I don’t know how many or long the opportunities were for TPA to dissolve that blockage...

[Hidden]

I had all my chemo via regular IV. The idea of a port scares me - too many possible problems if not maintained very carefully. I do not need a stroke on top of my other problems!

[Canoetripper]

Our MO recommended asking the nurses to evaluate my husband’s veins. They recommended a port because he is a “hard stick”. When he went to get the port they could draw blood fine but could not get the Iv to work so had to use ultrasound in procedure room to find a vein. Have had the port used for blood draws before chemo and for the chemo two times. It is working great. It was a good choice for him.

[Hidden]

My researcher never used the port for blood draws. I had them weekly. Something about accuracy. Critical is flushing with saline to keep the port clear. Drawing blood through the port invited coagulated blood to hang around; blocking the port........

GD

[Hirsch in reply to Hidden]

And skill or lack of

[Shooter1]

6 mo. with port. Flushed weekly. Clot buster needed once to clear. IV once and burned veins in whole arm and boiled out to surface in 2"X 8"burn area.

[Sea5 in reply to Shooter1]

Ugh, Shooter, that sounds horribly painful...I’m so sorry to hear that happened! I hope that the burn area has healed up for you?

[Collarpurple in reply to Shooter1]

Hi. Hope you & wife are doing well

Hope those grandchildren are getting ready for Santa

[Shooter1 in reply to Collarpurple]

With weekly burn specific physical therapy, I am starting my strength recovery all over again. Parked my walker and able to drive a little. Wife fine and a great help. Grandkids mostly doing well. Three down with flu this week. Hope they are ok for Thanksgiving.

[Collarpurple in reply to Shooter1]

Glad to hear you are getting your strength back🙏