Mom's Portacath

Image Courtesy of 34andhopeful.blogspot.com

My mom already finished her CMF treatment and we got great results, so she will start a new set of IV therapy in a couple of weeks. While we are sad that appear to be remaining cancer cells in her body, it's really uplifting that her doctor sees her fit enough to go through another set of chemotherapy. Go go go! We're not stopping till she's declared cancer-free! So in order to avoid the needles and having painful and collapsed veins, the doctor suggested that she get a portacath.

What is a portacath? Well, it's a small device that is installed underneath the skin and is connected to a big vein, and that's where the IV meds go through. It lessens the pain on her hands, where everything is performed with needles, even blood tests. It can be either plastic or titanium, but I understand that titanium is better because it elicits less tissue reaction.

Portacath surgeries are performed by vascular surgeons, and they can range from P75,000-P115,000 or roughly 1,800-2,800 USD in private hospitals here in the Philippines. I believe the most expensive is in MakatiMed, and surprisingly, Asian Hospital has good rates. It can be an outpatient procedure,even though it requires a general anesthesia. My mom will have her portacath surgery done in a couple of days by Dr. Catalan, a well-known thoracic cardiovascular surgeon at the Philippine General Hospital. I have absolutely no doubt that he'll take care of my mom. Godspeed Dr. Catalan! Cheers and lots of love to all :)))