Im on my third one. They last me between 3 to 5 yrs. I got ivig every 2 weeks for about 14 yrs,plus hospitalizations. Got SCT last june and still have my port even though I dont get ivig anymore. Have to flush it once a month if you dont use it. Will keep it until Chicago says it s ok to get rid of it.

It saves you a lot of headache if you dont have good veins. or good nurses.
Go for it.

Jim, I had a port inserted and it worked out very well. It was inserted at a hospital—was basically painless and I had mine removed about 8-10 months later. The only drawback was that my husband had to wrap plastic wrap around my upper arm and tape it before my showers. (thankfully, my home care company provided all the tape as a courtesy). Also, I never was given any numbing agents- I did get saline flushes regularly— even though I was told the type of port I had inserted at the Mayo Clinic didn’t require them. Removal of the port was also done at a hospital—That too, was painless. I was getting several I.V.’s each week for SoluMedrol infusions. Plus- multiple blood draws (which they just used the port for). It has risks- talk to your Dr. before deciding what is right for you. For me- it worked out wonderfully.