Port pre-assessment.

Almost time for my port-a-cath insertion! Had my pre-assessment yesterday, having it done on Wednesday.

I'll be having it put in the left side as that lump is on the right side and I have had nodes removed on the right side too.

They make a pocket in the skin on my chest, about where my bra strap sits by the sounds of it. This is where the port end will be inserted and stitched onto my chest wall, the tubing is then tunnelled under my skin, comes out at my neck, then they puncture my jugular vein (the one in my neck) and feed the rest of the tubing through so the tip sits in the big vein just above my heart. Everything is connected, tested and then I'm stitched back up on my neck and my chest. All sounds pretty terrifying! But it means nothing will be on the outside of my body so I can have a bath etc, and it can stay in throughout all my treatment. They just insert a special kind of needle into the port's center and then inject my chemo/herceptin etc into that.

All of it is done under a local anaesthetic, I have been offered some sedation, not enough to knock me out, just enough to relax me. I'm still undecided wether to take this or not as I worry it will make me feel rubbish plus it will mean I have to stop longer afterwards. Have to give it a good think over the weekend.

It's a proper surgical procedure, not as simple as just a cannula, which comes with risks and with a promise of pain. I am trying not to think about that though!

This horrid PICC line will come out on the same day too, 4 days and counting!! Xx

This is a picture I found online of what the port looks like before it's put in.