Hello everyone, I am so glad that this site exists to help many of us who have questions.. My ex husband has been diagnosed with Oropharyngeal cancer "Locally advanced". He starts this Wed with Chemo 1x a week and rad 5x a week. He starts chemo/rad this Wed. He has been fitted with the hood for Chemo but that is it.. He has a appt the day before he starts for Chemo teaching what ever that is. He does not have a port put in. Don't most chemo's use a port? Anyway thanks for letting me vent. Vicki

Hello Vicki ,I had chemo once a week for 6 weeks I was on low dose chemo and no port so I think your ex will get his chemo on iv like me

Thanks Paan, I guess we will find out on Wednesday. So if you are on low dose chemo then it is well tolerated just by IV? So for 4 hours you had to lay kind of still cause you had it in your arm?

It takes 4 to 5 hours and in my case only side effect I had was fatigue but i have heard people get nausea i had my son and my daughter giving me company they unusually allow someone but could be different now since covid19 hospitals don't allow anyone to accompany patients unless prior permission was given

Vicki, my husband had oropharyngeal cancer as well. He never had a port. Ports help because the patient does not have to get the pricks for blood tests and chemo every time. It can sometimes be tricky if the nurses cannot find the veins. I asked the nurse one time and she said it was our choice. So I guess you can ask when you go in for the next appointment. At that point, my husband had had so many blood tests and infusions that he didn’t “care.” A port requires some taking care of, so make sure you ask about that too.

my husband did not have a port the first time. He had 3 chemo treatments and all in the hospital. His second round of cancer, he got a port as he had a backpack like thing attached to him for 5 days at a time for 4 rounds.

I think it depends on how often and how much the chemo will be used.

He just found out that he will not have a port, but all through IV. Maybe better as he can take a shower and their isn't as much chance of infection. Now he has been told that he needs blood work done for them every Monday, but he is having a hard time finding a place that will take him as everything is done online because of Covid-19 and forget about calling cause no one will answer the phone.....

Isn’t there a blood lab at your hospital? We have one and we went there very early, like 7 a.m., so that we would be at he head of the line. Chemo would only be given if the bloodwork was back. So, it’s our way of spending less time waiting. Find out from your nurse (they are better at this sort of thing than doctors) what other patients do if there’s no blood lab at your hospital.