Having a chronic illness or post transplant health issues usually means frequent IV antibiotics and hydration. I’ve been getting PICC-Line IVs my entire life. A PICC is a more temporary IV used for hospital stays or courses of antibiotics. It usually goes into the bend of your arm but can really be put into any peripheral vein. Then, a catheter is guided up into a larger vein that leads to the heart. it looks like a long piece of spaghetti.
The problem with PICC lines is that they’re not gentle by any means. They cause scarring of the veins each time one is placed, and for patients who needs IV antibiotics frequently, thats a lot of times. It makes it tougher to navigate the catheter through scarred veins. When that happens, it’s time for a port.
The idea of a port was brought up to me back in 2009, while I was still seen at a children’s hospital. I absolutely wanted no part of it. At this point we were using something like an x-ray machine to search for possible veins that I could still use for PICC lines. Sometimes, the IV nurse would get as far as up to my shoulder with the catheter and we would get stuck trying to painfully push it through scar tissue. It was grueling. Laying down, head turned the opposite way of the arm, squirming, feeling exactly where the spaghetti-like line was traveling and exactly where it stopped.
When I finally decided to get a port placed it was a few years later. I was getting sicker and daily IV antibiotics were needed to keep me alive if/until I would get my transplant. A radiologist is the one who does the procedure. A small port, about the size of a quarter, is placed beneath the chest wall (Usually. My first port was placed in my upper arm. Not very common, but possible). I expected to hate it. I expected it to be another visible clue on my outward appearance that helped other people piece together that I wasn’t healthy. After my first time using the port, I had never been so happy about going through with it. The convenience was something brand new. It saved me from getting stuck multiple times for bloodwork. It ended long days in the PICC-line placement room, guiding a rigid catheter up a scarred vein. I wholeheartedly recommend a PORT over a PICC to anyone asking if its more sensible when it comes to treatment.
Once monthly, if all is going well, I keep up with PORT- maintenance. An at-home nurse (I’ve had the same nurse for like 20 years lol) comes out to my house once a month and “accesses” the PORT. That means a needle has been inserted into the placement of my chest wall and can now administer IV antibiotics and hydration. Thats what you can put INTO the Port. For bloodwork, your nurse simply pulls back on an attached syringe and can produce a blood return straight from the line. After a few times of being accessed, only the first pinch can be felt.
My chest port has been one of my easy buttons when it comes to live with terminal disease. Blessed are the days we can manage most of our illness at home with ports and IV-at-home-nurses. Back when I was in high school, a course of IV medicines meant at least a 10-day hospital stay. Today, I dont’ even have to step foot into a hospital to get accessed to my PORT and start receiving the treatment I need.
Today, I’m thankful for my port and the quality of life that its allowed.
Always here to answer questions-
Thanks for reading.
Sam xx
My Second Life 