Story - Port Protect

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Our Story

This is My Story

How Port Protect came to be...

My name is Jamie. I am a former attorney but am currently, and unfortunately, a disabled, chronically ill patient. I write to not only share a bit of my story, but also to share my vision for a less cumbersome, more efficient solution for numbing your chest port.

Since 2017, I was diagnosed with several debilitating and rare autoimmune diseases that make every element of my life difficult. It started with severe chest pain in late 2017. Heart problems run in my family, so I saw a cardiologist. I had just gotten engaged, passed the bar, bought a house, and landed a job at a wonderful law firm. The cardiologist did thorough testing but ultimately concluded that nothing was wrong with me – aside from anxiety – and put me on medication. After this, I continued to decline – my chest pain got worse. My hair started to fall out, I had severe rashes, muscle weakness, nerve pain, issues breathing, and debilitating fatigue. I could not walk to my mailbox without my muscles shutting down and I was using a walker.

In 2018, I was hospitalized over 20 times. After going to some of America’s top medical institutions, I finally had some clearer answers about my health issues. One medication that was recommended to help was intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). I received IVIG every day for 5 days in a row every 3 weeks and eventually, because my veins were so difficult to stick, I had to get a chest port. My chest port was implanted in January of 2020, and I still have (and use!) it today.

I eventually dreaded being poked with the needle when they went to access my port, so nurses recommended numbing it with lidocaine or prilocaine (prescription) – explaining that I needed to place a dime size amount on top of my port and cover with saran wrap. They explained further that a bandage would absorb the lidocaine – it needed to remain in its liquid form to be effective.

Unfortunately, as I’m sure most of you know, this preparation for treatment is extremely frustrating. I would have issues with cutting the saran wrap, lidocaine leaking through my shirt or getting on the seatbelt – it was such a mess. I often arrived at the cancer center and was not even numb because the “blob” of lidocaine that was supposed to be on my chest either shifted completely or absorbed into my clothing after leaking through the saran wrap, so my chest port was no longer numb at the access site.

There are so many people like us – chronically ill adult and children – that require medication via devices like chest ports. I searched online for better options and found nothing. I tried using Tegaderms, cling wrap, smaller sizes of saran wrap, etc. – and still had major issues with leakage and messes.

The challenges that come with the port preparation process inspired the development of a solution in the form of a new product, Port-Protect™, designed to significantly improve the treatment experience for chronically ill adults and children fighting a broad spectrum of diseases like cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (“COPD”), lupus, myasthenia gravis, neuropathy, chronic lymphocytic lymphoma, etc. – the list of diseases is endless.

Port-Protect™ has been a huge blessing in my life. I no longer dread infusion preparation because I can quickly stick something over my chest port (that is made of a super comfortable material that is also hypo-allergenic for my skin), fill the opening with lidocaine, close the lid, and go. Not only am I protected from my seatbelt, bra strap (women get this!), or hugs – I no longer have messes on my shirt. Most importantly, I no longer feel pain when my nurses access my port because the lidocaine cream stays in place and does exactly what it’s supposed to do: numb my chest port! Port-Protect™ has been a total game changer, and although I cannot say that I love my infusions, I love not feeling pain and love how easy port prep steps are now.

My hope is to help millions of chronically ill fighters like us – both children and adults – who dread the current process to adequately numb the chest port to prepare for needle access. As someone who experiences pain and fatigue daily, I believe that anything – big or small – to improve our lives somehow goes a long way.