I asked the oncologist if he was going to give me a port for chemo therapy. He said it depends on how many doses he gives, and how my veins are. I read elsewhere that one should always get a port to save the veins.

Have any of you had chemo with no port and no problems.

btw, the drug he mentioned is Carboplatin

I'm getting ready to start chemo in a week or so and I'm interested in the responses you'll get. I know plenty that did Chemo without a port but they had really good veins.
Minnie

I have really good veins. I didnt want to get a port but my doctors and nurses convinced me to get one. What I was told is that chemo can mess up even good veins so its easier on the patient to have a port. During my chemo sessions I would say at max. only about 25% there getting chemo had a port. My veins still look good after having chemo, I dont see any difference at all with using the port. But maybe thats the whole point of the port.

That IS the whole point. Chemo is hard enough as it is without worrying about them finding a good vein every time and veins do blow out over time. I have tiny little veins that roll and every time I have to get stuck for an IV it is difficult. for the nurse to find and often takes more than one try. I didn't have to worry about any of that when I had my port and was getting chemo.
There are really no downsides to a port that I can see except that, like other surgical sites, there is some risk of infection. I had surgery with general anesthesia when they put it in but taking it out only required local.

Nelie

Andrew- my husband has a port and it has been wonderful. There is little pain involved and since he's had several rounds of chemo it was a good idea. They also take his blood samples from it. Good Luck!
Sue

I will tell you this. My veins are great. All the nurses love them. They are like road maps. But even with that, the doctor told me that the veins can still blow after being stuck so many times. Now, I am very skinny, I hate the port, but.... tis better than a chance on blowing vien. My Doc also said, that if the IV is not in right, the chemo meds could leak onto the skin and burn. I was not wanting the port, but after hearing all he had to say, I was talked into it. It has advantages for sure. Just because I am skinny, I feel it all the time. THAT is what I do not like.

I started with a pic line and graduated to a port and I will tell you I would recommend it to anyone. I had the three rounds of chemo and all of my fluids pumped in through it. It was not a big deal for me getting it implanted and I still have it.

Something to seriously consider !

Kevin

My Bill thinks it ( along with the PEG) was the best decision we made regarding treatment. It just made life easier during a very stressful period. We were happy to have it numerous times...chemo, blood tests, hospitalizations. During chemo days, sometimes 6-7 hours long...having the port frees up your arms and hands and remember, you usually have to have blood tests prior to each chemo..one stick and its all taken care of. We were given numbing cream to apply at least 1/2 hour before any "stick" and that made the whole process pain free.

Deb

I didn't get a port (docs didn't push that hard either) but it's the one thing looking back I wish I had done. There were many times I was stuck; chemo 3x and blood work and IV's a zillion times. Sometimes the first person failed and had to get the "super sticker". None of these sticking experiences were fun and I wasted a lot of my time that could have been saved by the port. Now, with that said, I do not know any of the negative issues with ports, like maintenance, etc because as I said I never had one.

I had a port and it made things a hell of lot easier. There was never an issue with getting set up for chemo and/or blood work (one less thing to worry about). You hardly feel the prick and if you numb the area even that is gone. As far as maintenance is concerned, they will flush it out every time they use it and that should be all that is required. (assuming you do this weekly). I got chemo weekly as opposed for 3 times. If you have good veins and you are only getting a few chemo tx you might get away without it. Of course that assumes that everything is going fine and that you do not need extra infusions such as hydration... all of which are a snap with the port.
BTW removal is also not a big deal (10 minutes).

Markus

As a caregiver to someone who appeared to have perfect veins, I'd recommend anyone undergoing chemo get a port.

This was not an option offered to us, and no one warned us about the damaging effects of chemo on the veins. Even if you are only scheduled for 3 chemos (like my husband was)...there are weekly blood draws and extra draws for when/if there are fevers or hydration needed.

Then, my husband's regime switched to weekly chemo.

On one of our last visits at the chemo center, he was poked by 3 nurses for 1 1/2 hours and they still couldn't get enough blood to do lab work...and, they were working with a pediatric needle.

And, when he got a staph infection post treatment, when the IV antibiotic was given it blew a vein and they had no idea how much medication he received.

It was terrible. I am a big advocate of a port for any H&N patient going through chemo.

Our biggest regret is not getting a port. Watching Dan get stuck repeatedly then last week watching two veins blow... And just the tension and stress when they are looking for a good vein. Our MO didn't think Dan would need one. Theoretically you think oh 7 chemos - 7 sticks - no big deal. BEST case is 14 sticks (lab + treatment) and that is truly PERFECT. Any extra labwork, dehydration issues, any veins blow, etc. you start addding sticks and believe me - they add up fast. I bet Dan's been stuck 36 times so far. And he's having a pretty good go of it, all things considered.

I wish you the best of luck with your treatment and you of course have to make the decision that feels best to you. I just see so many things that are hard for Dan and they can't be helped, but this could have been helped - so now it's like why didn't we do this - UGH!

What does it mean when people say that veins blow? Is this some kind of serious damage? Is it permanent?

I'll try to explain what I saw last week. They would put the needle in and for the first 10 seconds think they had it - then you would see it swell and then flatten and it would bleed. Once it did that they couldn't get anything out of it and they had to start over.

I don't think it's serious or permanent, but you know I honestly don't know that for sure. Hopefully somebody with alot more knowledge than me can answer.