My port-a-cath’s 10th birthday is this month, November 2016, and what better way to celebrate that than to tell you why having it has made my life better. First of all, for the people that do not know what a port is, let me explain. A port is an IV that is semi-permanent underneath the skin. This is usually placed when patients need frequent infusions or medications.
So why did I get my port-a-cath? Well, as you may know, I have cystic fibrosis. With cystic fibrosis come a lot of lung infections, exacerbations, and tune-ups. When we get all these done, we normally get PICC lines. PICC lines are IV catheters that are removable and only stay in for how long your infusion or medications are. These are painful and are open to the world so with these there is a risk of infection. Although with the ports, there is a chance of infection when accessed, but when the needle is gone, there is no risk. I had more PICC lines than I can count, which caused my veins to scar up and basically be stubborn. This got to a point that I would be screaming even if they tried to numb it because it would not go in. On the rare occasion they were able to insert it, the next day the vein would collapse and not work anymore. Since this was happening and I was at a point of my life that I was pretty healthy, my CF pediatrician told my parents and me about getting a port placed. This was a no-brainer; I needed this to help get IV medications without the pain. We booked the OR (yes this is surgically placed) and the last thing I remember was counting backwards from 100. I think I got to 98 before I was out.
Now, I know girls and women are very hesitant to get a port since it is a bump under the skin. Personally, I had a woman surgeon that understood that I was a 17-year-old girl and was not happy about having a little bump under my skin and some scars. She did a phenomenal job. I had very little scarring and my port is not very visible, especially then when I had weight on. Now that I am sicker and needing transplant, it’s more visible. Ports are nice because you can let the surgical team know exactly where you would like it placed.
This was the best decision of my life. Not only have I required multiple rounds of IV antibiotics per year, but also there is no pain. I rarely feel the needle going into the catheter. It’s nice to be painless and be able to go home on IVs earlier because ports are less maintenance. I seriously don’t know what I would do without it. I can take it out when I need to take a shower and get it put back in easily. It’s only accessed when I need medication and other than that it's dormant and no one really sees it. The other great thing is that blood can be drawn from it. Can you say no more blood draws?!
So it’s safe to say that the port-a-cath life was the way to go for me, due to needing multiple IV antibiotics per year. I am so thankful for my doctor for pushing this on me because I have a feeling I would be in a lot more pain and maybe not even able to use my veins at all. All I have to say is happy 10th birthday, port, I am so happy to have the relationship that we do!!
