I have had chemo IV infusions every three weeks since Nov 2011 and contrast CT's every 3 months. I will continue to get chemo (maintenance) thru June 2013. All this without a port. Their are times that I fill like a pin cushion. I joke with the nurses-I'm ok being the pin cushion but please don't mistake my body for your embroidery work!
There hve been times that my veins have rolled and nurses have poked me 5 times before he IV would work correctly. I have had IV stuck in my wrist, knuckles, and along side my hand just below my pinky. I have learned which nurses have better luck with me and ...sorry to say....request them.
I had a hospital nurse tell me to drink Pedialite the day before bloodwork was scheduled. It works wonders!

Hi Stephanie ~ I am with Molly. I had 4 rounds of TC as well through an IV, and did fine. The only issue I had was that the third time I went in, they took labs from the middle of my good arm, so finding the vein above that was difficult, but not impossible!!!

My oncologist thought that four rounds of chemo were not worth the scar from the port, and I could only get infusions on one arm, because they took 21 nodes from the affected side. I will say that for a little while my left arm was a tad swollen, but the truth is during chemo I felt all swollen.

I was really glad i got the port as well. I had 7 rounds of all 3 drugs at the same time, and then had to have IV infusions 2 times a day for a month for an infection i got and without my port (which allowed me to administer to myself) I would have had to pay for a home nurse visit twice daily. They also used my port every time i got admitted for surgery or had to have an MRI or PET Scan so it was a lifesaver for me. Especially when I developed lymphedema and they could no longer stick my arms. I recommend it to everyone I know that gets diagnosed, but I know a few who went strictly with traditional infusion as well. They complained of sore arms, but i don't think any had horrible side effects form it. One did have to have them find alternate sites to put the IV each time becasue she had problems healing after the chemo infusions in each site. And i do know that AC is lethal if it escapes your veins and gets into your system so that was another consideration.

I guess it depends on what drugs they're giving you and how many rounds you're getting. My chemo consisted of 4 rounds of AC, which is pretty harsh, and 12 rounds of Taxol. That's a lot of sticks in the arm and some nasty stuff going in, so I went with the port. I still have surgery, radiation, and whatever tests/blood draws go with it, so I'm pretty happy with my decision. If my treatment had consisted of 4 rounds of something different, I probably would have chosen to do the IV.

My doctor said four infusions did not merit the scar from the port.