Before You Donate
Think very seriously before donating to any breastcancer organization, or fundraising program until you read their Annual Report to see who their top contributors are, and if they have a product that appears frequently in the message the organization sends to the public. That would be unethical and its illegal. The same applies to a request that the public buys products, but does not receive a "donor receipt" for tax-deductible purpose. Read any and all food labels that breastcancer "non-profits" are promoting to raise money. Some organizations tell the public to help them raise money by asking you to visit their websites, but that only gives them "hits" to increase their sponsors.
Another tip, "signing" an online Petition is not acceptable, so don't fall for such antics. An ethical non-profit, or professional will not request your visit to their website, nor use "cookies" placed on your computer when you visit their site.
Purchase the Breastcancer Postage Stamp, the Post Office will always give you your charitable deduction receipt. Its a valid form of fund raising.
Your physician may recommend that a tube be placed in your chest to administer the chemotherapy, saving the veins in your arms, especially if nodes have been removed.
Chest Ports, Lines Inserted for Chemotherapy
Frankly, I did not like this idea at all; however, my oncologist pointed out that I liked to swim, so the chest port would be the best option (as opposed to a line which is inserted into an arm vein and 'locked' when not in use). What I didn't know what that I would not swim during chemo, but I did beg people to just dump me into a pool, and I'd feel better - no one was impressed! I say that with tongue in cheek...but I was very sick with chemo.
The saving grace for me was that I had my surgeon, and I trusted her. Her recommendation was also the 'chest port' or VAS as it is medically called. It is a little vessel inserted into your upper chest below the bone on top of your shoulder. It remains under the skin. A line runs from that little internal port, into a major vein with narrow tubing. They x-ray to make certain the line is in place.
Well, I guess I had the only chest port in world that was inaccessible to everyone except Becky, one of my oncologist's infusion nurses. Because of my anatomy, lying on my back, the port was a bit tilted, so for her to insert a needle into the silicon top of the port (so it would close up when the needle was withdrawn) she had to use a larger needle. Now, I hear that several of us have gone through this.
If you put some Emla cream on the port area before going to for a chemotherapy treatment, it will be much more comfortable for you when the needle is inserted. You will feel pressure, and sometimes almost hear a 'pop,' but then it is over with.
The port is left in varying amounts of time. My was longer because of the second mastectomy done six months later.
THE OPERATION TO INSERT THE PORT
FIRSTLY, you may NOT be told this until you get to the hospital, but you will be told that you have to have someone with you for 24 hours after the surgery; however minor it is. I didn't know that, and it's covered elsewhere in this web site.
Continued-Insertion of My Chest Port (or Port-A-Catheter)