Immunotheropy who's had it??

[1-tonmudder]

Long story so Ill not go into all the details but I was diagnosed w stage 3 melanoma on the back of my right leg back in Jun. Pet scan didnt show anything anywhere else.Aug 13th they took a baseball size chunk of meat off the back of my leg,done a skin graph to cover it and removed some lymph nodes from my groin area.I am goin to do immunotherapy for the next year to head off a potential reoccurrence,(Dr says less than 20% change of it coming back after therapy).Up until now,besides the initial visit to the dermatologist,everything has been done at the U of TN hospital.I went Tues to the local cancer center(not at U of TN) to talk to them about starting my therapy.Dr wants to put a port in my chest that I assume will stay in for the duration of my treatments.(17 treatments,three weeks apart).I DO NOT want a port.Due to the nature of my work I dont think ill be able to keep it clean and am afraid of infection.I understand medicine and medical procedures change almost daily but my fil had one for about 6 weeks and it was a daily thing w him trying to keep it clean.Dr says they do a port to keep from having problems w veins being poked too much.So who's had it and how did they give it to you?? Did you have problems having it put in your vein repeatedly,if you had a port did you have problems w infections. My way of thinking is they can use one arm for one treatment and the other for the next and that would give ea arm 6 weeks between pokes.I kinda got the vibe that the port was more for their convenience.

 

[CLRracer]

I had a central line when I went through cancer. Same concept but different approach. Mine had a tube that stayed on the outside of my chest, and I had to change the dressing weekly and keep the ends of the tubes clean. Much more prone to infection than a port, and I never had any issues. A port goes under the skin, and it accessed with needle every time, so much lower chance of infection. However, if you're only getting stuck every three weeks then you shouldn't have a problem with your veins unless you already have a problem with them, or if the medicine itself causes them problems due to size. I go weekly for lab work and other than a few bruises I haven't had any issues.

Hoping for the best for you friend, holler if you need anything.

Duane

 

[TARider]

My wife had stage 3 lung cancer 2 years ago. Had radiation and chemotherapy first, then immunotherapy. She had a port put in and it was great for her (she has tiny veins and doc offices always struggle to hit them when drawing blood). It was covered by skin so there was nothing to keep clean.

 

[jcramsey]

No helpful info to add, but praying for a full and speedy recovery for you brother!

 

[1-tonmudder]

It was covered by skin so there was nothing to keep clean.

And that might be what they would do w me but it wasnt mentioned.I could see why they would do it in that situation.How long did she have it??

 

[TARider]

And that might be what they would do w me but it wasnt mentioned.I could why they would do it in that situation.How long did she have it??

About 2 years. She just had it removed last month. She actually wanted to keep it longer "just in case" but doc said it was time.
Edit - Apparently time flies. Looks like all this started late 2022 so closer to 3 years.

 

[1-tonmudder]

No helpful info to add, but praying for a full and speedy recovery for you brother!

Thanks I appreciate it.They say the prognosis is good but it has put an end to my summer.Which sucks for me but it is what it is.Ive not said anything about it until now cause I know lots of others have had it worse.

 

[1-tonmudder]

I had a central line when I went through cancer. Same concept but different approach. Mine had a tube that stayed on the outside of my chest, and I had to change the dressing weekly and keep the ends of the tubes clean. Much more prone to infection than a port, and I never had any issues. A port goes under the skin, and it accessed with needle every time, so much lower chance of infection. However, if you're only getting stuck every three weeks then you shouldn't have a problem with your veins unless you already have a problem with them, or if the medicine itself causes them problems due to size. I go weekly for lab work and other than a few bruises I haven't had any issues.

Hoping for the best for you friend, holler if you need anything.

Duane

Will do.Jay and his crew are goin to Harlan in Oct and he talked to me about goin the week before I had surgery.6 weeks of doin nothing wont give me enuf time to get my junk running and ready to go.Even if I was able to go.

 

[Shreddinlettuce]

And that might be what they would do w me but it wasnt mentioned.I could see why they would do it in that situation.How long did she have it??

You should request a port as opposed to a central line. The port is implanted and accessed by a needle during use then deacessed. The central line is direct to the vein through the skin and requires a constant dressing.

As a patient you have the right to refuse a central line and request a port be placed. They will probably go that route anyway. Always ask for a second opinion if you are uncertain

One thing about any immunotherapy is that you need to maintain a healthy low sugar diet, not keto per se, but stick to veggies and meat and avoid sugary drinks and sweets. Also stay hydrated water is always the best

 

[1-tonmudder]

You should request a port as opposed to a central line. The port is implanted and accessed by a needle during use then deacessed. The central line is direct to the vein through the skin and requires a constant dressing.

As a patient you have the right to refuse a central line and request a port be placed. They will probably go that route anyway. Always ask for a second opinion if you are uncertain

One thing about any immunotherapy is that you need to maintain a healthy low sugar diet, not keto per se, but stick to veggies and meat and avoid sugary drinks and sweets. Also stay hydrated water is always the best

A port is what they are wanting to do,but I wasnt given that information yet.I am the one that wants to use an IV.I have another appointment Wed so maybe theyll discuss it more then.I am currently waiting on approval from ins before they get started.If they approve it Tonya's afraid they'll drop us after they get the bill for it.They say its 121K for the treatments.

 

[/dev/ram]

I had a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) which went direct into my aorta. Not a port so has to be cleaned, the line itself flushed with saline, etc. Got infected by a sloppy candy striper who used a BP cuff on her cart rather than the one on the wall in my room. Fun. I don’t know if Immunotherapy is different from chemo in that the reason for the line isn’t just about the external access but also the toxic nature of the chemo itself. An IV in the arm would quickly burn up the vein. Something else to ask Dr in terms of whether a port is beneficial.

2-time cancer survivor here so wish you all the best on treatment and recovery. Everything has a down stream impact. Make sure they cover the whole story with you.

 

[Shreddinlettuce]

You will be getting a lot of blood drawn for labs, infusions, etc. the picc or central line has a higher risk of infection and more work on your end to keep clean. Using an iv over the course of treatment will lead to a lot of atherosclerosis (hardening of veins) in thee smaller veins, whereas a port goes into a larger vessel that better dilutes the medicine

 

[doc]

I did not do a port, they used an iv "dongle" for the week & removed it in-between treatments.

I thrash in my sleep sometimes & was afraid of ripping it out...busy mind/aggressive reactions in dreams.

In my case, no issues with applications each time...YMMV.

This was chemo

Good luck, regardless.

 

[CLRracer]

They say its 121K for the treatments

Duane