Port pain was amazing - turns out i have nerve damage in my left arm - and other issues with my left arm from 2 previous surgeries (pre-lyme dx).

Ok the question is this - I can barely use my left arm/shoulder so if I were to get a picc it would be in my right arm.

To me that seems like it would just be too debilitating not to have one 'free' arm - anyone have a similar situation.

Now since my port experience was a nightmare, i'm not sure I'm willing to do another, but if so, it would be on the right side - (when I had the left one, due to the problems, my left side was un-useable), would this be true for my right side?

Ofcourse everyone is different, and probably I won't go this route but having some info would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, the last PICC was in my left (non-dominant) arm and the phlebitis was so horrible that the surgeon put the port-a-cath in on the right (dominant) side.

No problems related to location at all.

Through my experiences I had many picc lines and it is difficult to use one arm, in a sense, however I learned how to deal with it since I needed the meds.

I have a port on my right side now and it is actually heaven sent. I have been very lucky since it has been in approx. 3 years. When it is not accessed you don't even know it is there.

I know everyone is different however I would go for the port if you need long term therapy. Maybe they could put it on the right side. I don't know why they chose different sides to insert it. I would ask your dr and see what the reason is.

Interestingly, everyone I'd talked to before I had my port put in said that it would be put in on the right side, so I was surprised when the surgeon chose the left side.

I had it in for 8 months and just couldn't deal with the amazing pain - there are posts from me (aaronkatie at the time) having chest pains and things where I thought i'd die!

Right now I am concentrating on making my children well (very long story) but my LLMD has agreed to have me on limited meds but wanted iv - though I'm thinking injections.

If I could use my left arm at all it would not be an issue but it literally is useless and I have to take my 12 year old to Occupational, physical, speech and psychological therapy weekly and things for my 10 year old - so its scary to think i won't be able to use my right arm too.

As far as the iv, personally I would question the dr. about having a port on the right side. I think the first few days my chest and arm were hurting but afterwards it didn't bother me.

I did the shots for a while but they didn't do much except create hard lumps. (don't know what they are called". They may be great for you though.

Discuss this with your dr. If he is willing to do iv I would try it. It is the only thing that has helped me. Although it has been a very long tough road and still is.

From what I understand, ports usually go in the right side unless there are specific circumstances that make it better to go on the left. The one I read about most while researching ports before I had mine put in was a right mastectomy (sp?) where a port was needed for chemo for breast cancer. Other than that, it seems much better to go in the right because there is less risk of heart troubles (at least that's my theory).

It's possible you'd have trouble with any port, no matter where it's placed, but I think that if you found a good surgeon and had it placed on the right side it would be easier to handle. Mine is on the right and going for a port instead of a picc or other central line is really one of the best decisions I've made regarding Lyme stuff.

There are also other lines out there, though. Have you looked into other chest lines? The ones that are like PICCs in that the tube comes out from under the skin but is put in the chest instead of the arm. That might be a good middle ground for you to choose.

Hope this has helped some. I'm not really that coherent today (stupid Lyme fog) so it may not make that much sense.

Peace and healing,
Annie

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What my question is and my brain is not working well is - if i put a picc or a port on my dominant side (remembering my left side and arm are basically of no use), will i still be able to use my right arm? From others experiences.

Problem is from my own experience since i had so many other issues, when i had my port/piccs my left side/arm was useless so I want to know that others have not had that problem - if this makes sense?

I am not sure what side you had the thrombosis or how long ago but that can be a factor on which side the port/PICC will be inserted.

If you have built up scar tissue or have a stenosis(narrowing) in the veins this is why the surgeon might of opted to place the port on the left side of your chest. The tip of the port/PICC (if the PICC is not a midline) sits in the superior vena cava right above the heart.

Inserted on the left or right side this is where it is going to end up. However the veins leading to that main vessel are the ones that determine where the line is placed.

If you had a fresh thrombis you certainly don't want to place in a line in that arm because you can cause the clot to travel into your lungs.

Since you have had three lines and have had some issues with them, you might have some scarring, so the surgeon will probably have to decide which to place the line.

Even if you didn't have problems, just having a foreign body like a line can cause a narrowing of the vessels. When you have the line in the body's defense is to build up fibrous tissue around line. So when the line is removed you may or may not have a narrowing of the veins due to this process.

The catheter part of the port is usually inserted through the the veins of the neck(jugular) which are bigger then the ones used for the PICC(cephalic or brachial).

And please remember a port insertion is a sterile, cut down surgical procedure, where a PICC is sterile invasive but entirely different way of line insertion.

So sometimes the lines can be inserted by patient preference, but sometimes it is because of anatomy of the patient that is the decidng factor.

It is interesting though about the narrowing of the veins and scar tissue, I'm thinking this is alot of my problems with my left arm.

Now the port issue - very cloudy as to where the problem was (i've had 2 left shoulder surgeries and have herniated cervical disks so the radiating pain could have been caused from that) BUT every time I was accessed - it hurt so bad that I cried and believe me I'm used to pain and needles.

A port is not as restrictive as a PICC would be on the right side because it would be in the chest area. Also you can get Emla cream which is applied to the insertion an hour before being accessed and it should help numb the area. It is like local lidocaine.

Sounds like the right side might be a better option for you as long as there are no other issues. They also have ports called Pasports which are put in the arm kind of where the PICC is, but is under the skin like a chest port.

Now also instead of suturing the top layer for a port they use Dermabond, like crazy glue, that you can take a shower with the next day, don't have to worry about stitches coming out.
Good Luck with your decision,
Grace

I never needed the emla - the needle stick didn't hurt - it was nerve pain from pushing - not from the needle going in.

I know - I'm just crazy, huh?