When I leave the cancer center after getting all of my chemotherapy drugs, they send me home with a pump that continues to infuse 5-FU into me for 46 hours. Here is what the pump looks like without its vinyl case.
You can see that the display is indicating low, this happens when the level of 5-FU goes below 5ml. The total volume is 96.6ml given at 2.1ml/hour for 46 hours. The vinyl case allows the pump to be strapped around your waist or put over your shoulder. At night, I have it hung from my bed post. It’s tricky when I sleep because being hooked into the pump means I can’t roll over the same way twice otherwise I’ll wrap myself up in the tubing. Of course the biggest fear I have is that somehow the tubing will get snagged on something and be pulled out of me which would be just a complete mess. Hasn’t happened yet (knock on wood).
In this next photo, you can see where the tube comes out of the portacath and there’s some padding under the tubing to help keep the needle - which is perpendicular to the tubing so together they make an “L” shape - in place and the whole thing is held together, and protected from water, by that sticky plastic covering. I was told not to shower while I have the pump connected or at least not to get the portacath wet. Actually I was told I should still clean my private parts, although I thought that was anal retentive of them. You can also see, if you can avoid staring at my nipple, the tape I have affixing the tube to my chest which is a precaution I take just in case that tube gets pulled, it will pull there first and either stop there or at least warn me something bad is about to happen. Luckily there is a lot of slack in the tubing and, so far, I’ve been lucky.
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