Hello;
On January 20th I had a port-a-cath inserted into my right subclavian (I think) vein. Starting a couple of days after surgery and continuing to this day I have been dealing with the most intense (8/10) pain in my right shoulder. The surgeon belives this to be due to the fact that he had to do some extra tunneling to get to my vein and may have disturbed some nerves. I am currently on a fentanyl patch for the pain which only helps a little but I really want to avoid the NSAIDs as I am starting chemo on Tuesday and don't want to overload my kidneys or liver.
Has anyone else experienced this type of shoulder pain following port-a-cath insertion? If so, how long did it last? Any input would be helpful.

Last edited by Richard T.; 01-28-2012 02:52 PM.
2006 SCC T0 N1 M0; 2006 EBRT x 33, chemo x 3; 2010 Extraction 2 molars; 2010 HBOx30; 2011 Dx osteosarcoma of mandible; 12/20/11 mandibulectomy with temp. titanium plate; 1/31/2012 chemo x 4; 9/19/2012 Reconstruction of mandible with graft from hip and bone morphogenic protein