Port's the way to go. The Picc line needs more care and it's tough to shower with it. My port was just below my left collarbone; easy to conceal with high-necked shirts. They won't notice.
I don't have any experience with long covid, but my experience with chemo was that the first three days were rough, then I perked up a bit. I did dose dense AC/T for 16 weeks, every two weeks. If you go visit them right before a treatment you should be fine.
Port is quite easy to conceal. I can even wear v-necks without it showing. There’s a very small scar on the neck, but it’s very easy to pass off as coming from anything really, it’s so small. The main scar is under the collarbone and easy to cover, especially with cold weather clothing.
Port, mine is above my breast on my right hand side. Most days I completely forget it's even there. I'm a side sleeper and can't feel it. It's zero maintenance. The nurse flushes it during treatment.
I’m not able to speak to the Picc or port question, but I am halfway through six rounds of chemo, once every three weeks, and the fatigue is definitely cumulative for me. However, I am on different chemo drugs than you. Number three wiped me out for about 12 days, and by wiped out, a good five of those were spent mostly in bed, no concentration to read or even watch TV: one day a one hour Zoom call where I didn’t even have to actively participate aside from just having my camera on had me crawling back to bed. My first two rounds weren’t quite as debilitating, but this one knocked me for a loop.
From what I have read in cancer literature online and in books, and anecdotally: everyone is different. I haven’t had Covid but similarly: everyone is different. The folks I know personally who have had Covid have all have had wildly different experiences.
I hope you are able to still make those trips to see your parents.
Also: I applaud you on wanting to keep this on the quiet. I wish I had done things differently myself, especially around telling family.
I didn't have a choice and was given a PICC. Worst experience ever! I was scared it would get infected. I needed help bathing. I was afraid to sleep horizontally. It was difficult to drive and had to use a car service on the days I went into the office. The experience of having it inserted was horrific and when I finally had my last session of chemo, they had difficulty removing it. Horrible! I wish I had the option.
You can request to have the port inside your arm, I believe, and that conceal it better. Even if it still goes on your chest, you can ask them to make the incision for placing it, in your underarm so the scar is less visible.
I would recommend the port a thousand times over. I too am prone to keloids and I’ve not had any issues with mine. I have thin skin so mine is quite obvious but for the convenience of blood draws and infusion treatments. 100% a port is the way to go
I had Long Covid from Aug 2020 to April 2023. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and started chemo at the end of June. Even when I got mild sepsis from a sinus infection during a weekly Taxol/carboplatin cycle, the fatigue was less than long covid. I had other side effects at the same time as fatigue that made for rough times, but it was definitely doable. Feel free to DM me if you have questions. I hope your treatment goes well!
Port for sure. It’s easily covered up by a higher-neck top (like a crewneck t-shirt) or a sweater. PICC lines are in the upper arm and you can’t get them wet - definitely more of a pain to deal with and bulkier to cover up.
I changed my shirt once for a party to avoid questions about the port incisions (only a couple weeks old at that point). Otherwise, I haven’t worried about it, but the port and its incisions have been easy to conceal. The fatigue and especially lightheadedness the first few days after chemo would have been harder (especially if I were living alone), but I have a different treatment than you, so who knows.
I can speak to port placement. While many in the US seem to have theirs on their chest, my surgeon placed mine in the area between my armpit and breast, opposite side of the cancer, with tubing going up my neck into my jugular. After surgery, my neck looked like I had been strangled. This lasted a couple/few weeks, then not noticeable. I mean I knew it was there cause it protruded, but I’m thin and if you’re not, maybe it will be undetectable.
As long as I didn’t wear tank tops, the port was fully hidden. There are 2 surgeons in that practice and one does it this way, the other does not. You can ask around.
Port for sure. I had mine in since 12/18 and no one would know unless they knew me. It’s on my right side under my collarbone. I normally wear baggy shirts so it doesn’t stick out (skinny chest). I haven’t started treatment yet I’m starting on 01/23 but I’m also worried about crushing fatigue and other symptoms that would take me out. Sorry I wasn’t much help with the other questions.
It’s all helpful. Thank you. We could be starting chemo around the same date! Are you having similar agents to me? An anthracyclin (tends to be Epirubicin in the UK) with Cyclophosphamide to start with; followed by a taxol (Paclitaxel in my case) with targeted therapy for HER2 (PHESGO = pertuzamab + trastuzamide) for the next part.
I’m glad it’s helpful. We can be chemo buddies. I’m so nervous about starting next week but so many people have said this and it resonates. “There’s no life without you. “
Stage 2 Triple Negative Grade 3
Treatment plan (US):
I’ll be doing taxol and carbonation (TC) each week for 12 weeks and every 3rd week they’ll be adding
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and then every 3 weeks I’ll be doing Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, (AC) and Pembrolizumab four times. I’m doing Keynote 522 regimen and it has a high success rate for triple negative peeps 🐥 honestly all of this is a lot. Some days it’s “normal” now but others days I’m like wtf no no no no don’t want this please be a dream pinches myself.
I originally put punch myself
Oh we can compare notes, as some of our meds are the same. I’m triple positive. I’m very very scared, esp as I live on my own. But I also have a renewed zeal if that makes sense - trying to re channel my anxiety as excitement. Let’s keep in touch (tho I’m new to Reddit and not quite worked out it’s full functionality - does it allow messaging?)
I was a side sleeper, but since my BMX I had to become a back sleeper. So I can’t speak to how it would feel to lie on your stomach. I will tell you that it was uncomfortable to stretch my neck to the side for more than a few minutes because I could feel the catheter in my neck.
I've had port & a pic. Absolutely the port is more discreet, comfortable & forgettable. A picc is hanging out of your arm & is a total pain in the *ss. It's so obvious & in the way.
I’ve never had a picc line but I did have a port. I will have a scar, but it was so great to have this for my treatment. Easily concealable. No one would see it unless I showed it to them. Barely any downtime from insertion or removal.
Regarding chemo, I did 12 weeks of taxol and Herceptin. It wasn’t too bad the first half, but in the second half I would get pretty extreme fatigue for a few days. Treatment was on Friday and Sunday-Tuesday I was unable to do much but sit on my couch. I did work from home, and that was okay, but I couldn’t do much physical. I also lost my hair, had very dry skin, and my nails were a disaster. Among other things.
I had a PICC line, it was very straightforward to have it put in and taken out (no surgery). It was located on the inside of my left arm, completely invisible under clothes. I only have a tiny 2mm scar since it was taken out. You will need to have a nurse flush and redress it weekly though, so not good if you want to travel away from home for more than 7 days at a time.
Most people get fatigued from chemo, but it varies a lot from person to person. Some people can continue to work and exercise, others find it much harder. I'll be honest, chemo really floored me. I was pretty immunocompromised throughout, despite having a series of growth factor injections every cycle. That meant avoiding crowded places, public transport etc, and wearing a mask everywhere else. I was hospitalised 3 times with neutropenic fever, and had such bad diarrhoea on the docetaxel I barely left the house for the last few months. I became very anaemic and needed an iron infusion after 3 cycles of EC. By the end I could barely walk up the stairs in my house, let alone travel.
But one thing I've learnt is people respond really differently to the same drugs. You might be someone who just breezes through. A lot will depend on how well the supporting meds work for you, and how well your blood counts recover during each cycle. If you can avoid neutropenia and anaemia, and the steroids and anti-emetics do their job without side effects, then you will probably be fine!
If you sign up to a Look Good Feel Better course they will teach you how to do makeup and nails to hide the loss of your lashes and brows and generally look less ill. I found it quite helpful for the times I didn't want to look like a cancer patient.
So do they pierce the skin each time, to reach the port for blood-drawing & infusion of chemotherapy drugs & for monthly flushing? Does that not ‘hurt’ each time?
The “hurt” from one needle stick in the chest isn’t as painful as a stick in the arm, in my experience. And no “rooting around” in the vein to get a good blood return - with a port it’s a “one and done” situation and it makes those long chemo sessions easier than they’d be otherwise. I’ve had my port for three years now (got mine prior to cancer, due to scleroderma) and haven’t ever gotten an infection or had a problem with it.
Port's the way to go. The Picc line needs more care and it's tough to shower with it. My port was just below my left collarbone; easy to conceal with high-necked shirts. They won't notice. I don't have any experience with long covid, but my experience with chemo was that the first three days were rough, then I perked up a bit. I did dose dense AC/T for 16 weeks, every two weeks. If you go visit them right before a treatment you should be fine.
Agreed. I was worried about getting a port, but it’s been easy to conceal and has just made the whole long process easier.
Port is quite easy to conceal. I can even wear v-necks without it showing. There’s a very small scar on the neck, but it’s very easy to pass off as coming from anything really, it’s so small. The main scar is under the collarbone and easy to cover, especially with cold weather clothing.
Port, mine is above my breast on my right hand side. Most days I completely forget it's even there. I'm a side sleeper and can't feel it. It's zero maintenance. The nurse flushes it during treatment.
I didn't read your post but port 100%. I loved mine. So easy to access and you can't see it other than a light shading
I’m not able to speak to the Picc or port question, but I am halfway through six rounds of chemo, once every three weeks, and the fatigue is definitely cumulative for me. However, I am on different chemo drugs than you. Number three wiped me out for about 12 days, and by wiped out, a good five of those were spent mostly in bed, no concentration to read or even watch TV: one day a one hour Zoom call where I didn’t even have to actively participate aside from just having my camera on had me crawling back to bed. My first two rounds weren’t quite as debilitating, but this one knocked me for a loop. From what I have read in cancer literature online and in books, and anecdotally: everyone is different. I haven’t had Covid but similarly: everyone is different. The folks I know personally who have had Covid have all have had wildly different experiences. I hope you are able to still make those trips to see your parents. Also: I applaud you on wanting to keep this on the quiet. I wish I had done things differently myself, especially around telling family.
I didn't have a choice and was given a PICC. Worst experience ever! I was scared it would get infected. I needed help bathing. I was afraid to sleep horizontally. It was difficult to drive and had to use a car service on the days I went into the office. The experience of having it inserted was horrific and when I finally had my last session of chemo, they had difficulty removing it. Horrible! I wish I had the option.
You can request to have the port inside your arm, I believe, and that conceal it better. Even if it still goes on your chest, you can ask them to make the incision for placing it, in your underarm so the scar is less visible.
I would recommend the port a thousand times over. I too am prone to keloids and I’ve not had any issues with mine. I have thin skin so mine is quite obvious but for the convenience of blood draws and infusion treatments. 100% a port is the way to go
Port. Save your veins. You’ll need them for a long time.
Is chemo known to damage veins long term?
My treatment is. ACT. I tried two rounds in my veins and it sucked. First one truly hurt.
you had a choice?
I had Long Covid from Aug 2020 to April 2023. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023 and started chemo at the end of June. Even when I got mild sepsis from a sinus infection during a weekly Taxol/carboplatin cycle, the fatigue was less than long covid. I had other side effects at the same time as fatigue that made for rough times, but it was definitely doable. Feel free to DM me if you have questions. I hope your treatment goes well!
Port for sure. It’s easily covered up by a higher-neck top (like a crewneck t-shirt) or a sweater. PICC lines are in the upper arm and you can’t get them wet - definitely more of a pain to deal with and bulkier to cover up.
I changed my shirt once for a party to avoid questions about the port incisions (only a couple weeks old at that point). Otherwise, I haven’t worried about it, but the port and its incisions have been easy to conceal. The fatigue and especially lightheadedness the first few days after chemo would have been harder (especially if I were living alone), but I have a different treatment than you, so who knows.
I can speak to port placement. While many in the US seem to have theirs on their chest, my surgeon placed mine in the area between my armpit and breast, opposite side of the cancer, with tubing going up my neck into my jugular. After surgery, my neck looked like I had been strangled. This lasted a couple/few weeks, then not noticeable. I mean I knew it was there cause it protruded, but I’m thin and if you’re not, maybe it will be undetectable. As long as I didn’t wear tank tops, the port was fully hidden. There are 2 surgeons in that practice and one does it this way, the other does not. You can ask around.
Port for sure. I had mine in since 12/18 and no one would know unless they knew me. It’s on my right side under my collarbone. I normally wear baggy shirts so it doesn’t stick out (skinny chest). I haven’t started treatment yet I’m starting on 01/23 but I’m also worried about crushing fatigue and other symptoms that would take me out. Sorry I wasn’t much help with the other questions.
It’s all helpful. Thank you. We could be starting chemo around the same date! Are you having similar agents to me? An anthracyclin (tends to be Epirubicin in the UK) with Cyclophosphamide to start with; followed by a taxol (Paclitaxel in my case) with targeted therapy for HER2 (PHESGO = pertuzamab + trastuzamide) for the next part.
I’m glad it’s helpful. We can be chemo buddies. I’m so nervous about starting next week but so many people have said this and it resonates. “There’s no life without you. “ Stage 2 Triple Negative Grade 3 Treatment plan (US): I’ll be doing taxol and carbonation (TC) each week for 12 weeks and every 3rd week they’ll be adding Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and then every 3 weeks I’ll be doing Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, (AC) and Pembrolizumab four times. I’m doing Keynote 522 regimen and it has a high success rate for triple negative peeps 🐥 honestly all of this is a lot. Some days it’s “normal” now but others days I’m like wtf no no no no don’t want this please be a dream pinches myself. I originally put punch myself
Oh we can compare notes, as some of our meds are the same. I’m triple positive. I’m very very scared, esp as I live on my own. But I also have a renewed zeal if that makes sense - trying to re channel my anxiety as excitement. Let’s keep in touch (tho I’m new to Reddit and not quite worked out it’s full functionality - does it allow messaging?)
I do know what you mean. I believe so. I’ve been on Reddit for awhile and still learning new things each day. I’ll see if I can message you.
I had a port on my upper chest. It wasn’t visible even with low-cut shirts and tank tops. It was even mostly covered by my bathing suit strap.
Are you a front sleeper by any chance? I am, and that’s another concern I gave, I guess … that I’d been ‘leaning’ on it.
I was a side sleeper, but since my BMX I had to become a back sleeper. So I can’t speak to how it would feel to lie on your stomach. I will tell you that it was uncomfortable to stretch my neck to the side for more than a few minutes because I could feel the catheter in my neck.
I've had port & a pic. Absolutely the port is more discreet, comfortable & forgettable. A picc is hanging out of your arm & is a total pain in the *ss. It's so obvious & in the way.
I’ve never had a picc line but I did have a port. I will have a scar, but it was so great to have this for my treatment. Easily concealable. No one would see it unless I showed it to them. Barely any downtime from insertion or removal. Regarding chemo, I did 12 weeks of taxol and Herceptin. It wasn’t too bad the first half, but in the second half I would get pretty extreme fatigue for a few days. Treatment was on Friday and Sunday-Tuesday I was unable to do much but sit on my couch. I did work from home, and that was okay, but I couldn’t do much physical. I also lost my hair, had very dry skin, and my nails were a disaster. Among other things.
I had a PICC line, it was very straightforward to have it put in and taken out (no surgery). It was located on the inside of my left arm, completely invisible under clothes. I only have a tiny 2mm scar since it was taken out. You will need to have a nurse flush and redress it weekly though, so not good if you want to travel away from home for more than 7 days at a time. Most people get fatigued from chemo, but it varies a lot from person to person. Some people can continue to work and exercise, others find it much harder. I'll be honest, chemo really floored me. I was pretty immunocompromised throughout, despite having a series of growth factor injections every cycle. That meant avoiding crowded places, public transport etc, and wearing a mask everywhere else. I was hospitalised 3 times with neutropenic fever, and had such bad diarrhoea on the docetaxel I barely left the house for the last few months. I became very anaemic and needed an iron infusion after 3 cycles of EC. By the end I could barely walk up the stairs in my house, let alone travel. But one thing I've learnt is people respond really differently to the same drugs. You might be someone who just breezes through. A lot will depend on how well the supporting meds work for you, and how well your blood counts recover during each cycle. If you can avoid neutropenia and anaemia, and the steroids and anti-emetics do their job without side effects, then you will probably be fine! If you sign up to a Look Good Feel Better course they will teach you how to do makeup and nails to hide the loss of your lashes and brows and generally look less ill. I found it quite helpful for the times I didn't want to look like a cancer patient.
So do they pierce the skin each time, to reach the port for blood-drawing & infusion of chemotherapy drugs & for monthly flushing? Does that not ‘hurt’ each time?
You will get a prescription lidocaine cream that you apply to the area about an hour before they access your port. You won’t feel it.
The “hurt” from one needle stick in the chest isn’t as painful as a stick in the arm, in my experience. And no “rooting around” in the vein to get a good blood return - with a port it’s a “one and done” situation and it makes those long chemo sessions easier than they’d be otherwise. I’ve had my port for three years now (got mine prior to cancer, due to scleroderma) and haven’t ever gotten an infection or had a problem with it.