10 Reasons I love my port!

I got my port placed a little over a month ago and just got to put it into use for the first time. While I knew there were several benefits, which led me to my decision to get one, my experience so far has been phenomenal! I was so stubborn when making the decision, but now I wish I had done it sooner. However, I was nervous. I wanted to make a list of my 10 favorite things about my new port that I have just experienced so that if there are any others out there that are nervous, you can read this list and realize how cool it will be to get one! If you want more information on ports before you start reading about why they are so great, read my previous blog post: Journey to the Port.

1. No waiting to start IVs.

This may be one of my favorite things. You don’t have to deal with waiting to get a PICC line placed by Interventional Radiology (IR); the nurses can just access the ports themselves. One time I didn’t even get to start my antibiotics until the day after I got admitted because we were waiting for IR to place my PICC.. my doctor was pissed. Plus, then you get less out of your hospital stay because the whole point you are there is to get the IV antibiotics!

2. No more sore arm.

On the subject of PICC lines, you don’t get a sore arm that is annoying and itchy for the first couple of days of your hospital stay. Instead it’s a little poke and then you’re done. I always hated sleeping the first night because I sleep with my head resting on my arm. I flip over a lot too, so it never mattered which arm my PICC was in.. it was always annoying.

3. Easier to move around.

This is a big one for me because I like to move around a lot. This includes when I am both awake and asleep. I would get tangled in my IV all the time and get really annoyed when I was trying to sleep. It would either set the alarm off on the pump or make it really difficult for the nurses to get to in the middle of the night. During the day, it was always annoying when the line would get in the way of me doing my leisure activities to pass the time. One of my favorite activities to pass the time in the hospital is knitting. With the port, the IV line doesn’t move when you are constantly moving your arm to knit. It’s fantastic!

4. SHOWERS.

Let me tell you. This should probably be either number one or two on my list, except that they are in no particular order. Taking a shower with a PICC line was always the worst part of being in the hospital. I would put off showering as long as I could handle it because it was such an ordeal. First you have to get your arm wrapped up in plastic so that your PICC doesn’t get wet. Then you have to hope that you can bend your elbow. Then, while in the shower, you have to avoid getting that arm wet. Let’s hope that none of the tape is in your armpit because then you only get to shave either one or none of your armpits. All the while, you are basically showering with one hand because the other one can’t go in the water and chances are both your elbow AND shoulder are taped up rendering it basically immobile. However, with the port you can just get de-accessed and shower as if it was just another day. SO SIMPLE.

5. You can wear a bra.

That’s right ladies. You can actually put a bra on when you wanna go down and get food or just generally walk around in public, if you want to of course. The beauty is that you have the option. Because the port is on your chest, you don’t have to bother with worrying about the IV line not being able to go through the strap of your bra. You may now have freedom to choose whether you support your boobies or not!

6. Changing shirts/take sweatshirts on and off without being unhooked.

This goes right along with reason #5. Previous to having the port, I would always have to bring sweatshirts that were zip-up and just drape them over the arm that my PICC was in instead of actually wearing it. Now I don’t even have to think about which sweatshirt I bring because I can just throw it on without having to worry about putting my arm with the PICC through the armhole. I also love that I can change my t-shirts without having to time when I’m unhooked. It’s just another freedom type luxury, which when you are trapped in the hospital, when you’d much rather be out in the real world, is a huge deal.

7. Labs.

Let’s just be honest for a second. We all know that CFers tend to be pretty chill people. However, being woken up at 7am to be poked by a needle for some measly lab work is no fun for anyone. While we just smile and act polite, we would really rather be asleep and not being poked by needles at 7am. Here’s something beautiful about ports, though… they can draw labs from them! There is no need for extra poking. A nurse just comes in, grabs your labs from your already accessed port, and then you are done. It’s a breeze.

8. “Occluded – Patient side” is now a rare sight.

Does this obnoxious message sound familiar to anyone?!? It would come on the IV pump screen any time you just kind of leaned on your arm the slightest bit in the way the machine didn’t like it. Then your pump would be beeping and you would constantly have to bug your nurse or someone to come take care of it… if you don’t know how to fix it (but shhh because you’re really not supposed to fix it yourself) or if your pump has a lock on it, which I know some hospitals do. Well this is a problem that is now history! I only saw that message once while I was in the hospital this time, and that was because I accidentally buckled my IV line into my Vest buckle. Oops. Hallelujah peace and quiet!

9. Vest treatments are no longer a hassle.

While they weren’t that big of a deal with the PICC lines, Vest treatments are no longer a hassle. You no longer have to un-velcro the shoulder four times a day and hope that you get it lined back up evenly and to where you are used to it. I personally am just really particular with this kind of thing, and my body can tell when it’s different. So it would always drive me nuts having to velcro and un-velcro the shoulder of my Vest. The only problem I ran across was when I buckled the IV line into the top buckle of the Vest and made the pump go off, but that only happened once when I wasn’t paying attention.

10. Discharge is quick and easy.

This is how discharge goes. Your nurse comes and takes the needle out, he/she may have to put a little band-aid on, then you go home. DONE.

If anyone else has any more reasons why they love their port, please feel free to comment below so everyone can hear about your experiences too!