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Whoops…..Mom pulled out her Groshong Catheter!  Mom needed to use the restroom while she was getting chemo last week and she caught one of her tubes while in the restroom and pulled her Groshong Catheter out of her chest!  It didn’t hurt, it didn’t bleed much and it wasn’t as catastrophic as we first thought.   But it still really freaked us out! 

She is scheduled to have a port catheter put in next week.  It is often called a Port-a-cath.

• Port-a-cath.  A more permanent option involves the placement of a port-a-cath.  The port-a-cath is placed under the skin on the chest.  The catheter is then inserted into the superior vena cava vessel at entrance of the right atrium of the heart.  This catheter can be placed in radiology by an interventional radiologist or by a surgeon in the operating room. It is approximately a one-hour procedure. The useful lifetime of a port-a-cath can be as long as three to five years.  The port-a-cath can be felt under the skin and the nurse can find the entrance by locating the edges of the port-a-cath and inserting (cannulating) a special needle (called a Huber needle) into the soft middle section.   Medications can be given through the port-a-cath and blood can be drawn from it eliminating the need for a blood draw from the arm. The use of a portable pump and port-a-cath allows the medication to be given over several days in the home setting rather then as a patient in the hospital.  There are no dressing changes required but there is some maintenance involved.

They say the port is a more long term option since it is surgically inserted under the skin but there is no risk of pulling it out and the risk for infection is lower. 

She has another PetScan tomorrow and we get the results of the scan on April 1st!  We’re crossing our fingers for good results!