I would make sure your doctor knows about this, Debra. It doesn't sound right to me. It's supposed to stay in the same spot.

Go for it honey. Good luck. Let us know what the outcome is.

First off put a cool compress like a gel pac on it right away. Keep those in the fridge, they really come in handy. Also, a Tylenol and maybe a Benadril. You might be having an allergic reaction but please, ask a nurse. Finally, ask if it's been flushed. The port needs to be flushed so see if that helps.

It drives me crazy when docs and nurses don't listen to their patients. I know they are busy and have a lot of patients (I work in the health care industry), but that's really NO EXCUSE...no one knows your body the way you do. DON'T let them ignore you.

When I started having breathing problems last winter, they went through the "it's bronchitis", "It may be COPD", "It may be problems with your heart", "It's your weight"... well, there was fluid collecting inside my pleura (lining outside your lungs) and THAT is what was causing my breathing problems. They have drained the fluid twice and this last time, did biopsies and found that my breast cancer has come back in my pleura.

DON'T GIVE UP.

By now, you probably have an answer as to what works (or not).

Last Thanksgiving, my husband noticed that my neck looked really swollen. I had been very tired the previous two-three days and wasn't really paying attention; just wanted to nap. (The week previous to this, I believed I was suffering w/allergies as my head felt swollen, among other things. I took antihistamines, thinking that would relieve the symptoms.) When he repeated his concerns, I felt my neck. I thought I had the mumps! He called an ambulance and I went to the ER where I had a couple of X-rays (I could hardly stand, I was so exhausted). The ER doctor mentioned a clot but could find none. He called the on-call oncologist who suggested I go back home (*moan) and go to the oncologist's office in the morning.

As soon as the oncologist saw me the next day, he immediately called for a bed at the hospital. Long story short, I didn't get immediate attention because it was Thanksgiving weekend. However, the decision was made that the port had brought on a clot so the port was removed on Sat. AM and I went thru an angioplasty (not the most pleasant event) on Mon. AM. Later, the Nurse Practitioner said I had a classic textbook case of vena cava syndrome.

My advice: don't play around with this.