port pillows – a diy guide for cancer patients and caregivers

a lot of cancer patients have an implant called a medi-port. medi-port, you ask? it’s a little device implanted under our skin, below the collar bone, with a tube that goes into our artery. here’s a picture of mine…

i know, kind of hard to see, but i promise it’s there!

 

 

when getting chemo or other treatments, instead of having to get an IV in our arm, the nurse administers the medication through this port. using a special needle that is inserted through our skin into the “house” of the port, the medication goes directly into our bloodstream. as bad as that may sound, it’s actually much more comfortable than getting an IV every week.

 

while the port helps make treatment more comfortable, it does make wearing a seat belt more UNcomfortable. the seat belt rubs against and irritates the port. while some patients are either not bothered by the seat belt or they just endure the discomfort, some of us are really bothered by it. considering all the other areas of discomfort we have to deal with, why put up with something that can easily be fixed? i give you … the port pillow! such a simple and brilliant solution to a problem known only to the “proud” owners of ports.

 

port pillows are sometimes available at the oncologist office or infusion center, usually made by another patient or caregiver and donated to the office. i’m sure there are people who sell them on etsy, but i haven’t looked. they are really easy to make, even for the sewing-challenged, like me. no Martha Stewart gene necessary to whip these little babies up! (just don’t look too closely at my stitching, it’s not very great!)

 

you can use any fabric, but something with a little weight and stiffness is easier to work with. i’ve made them in two different sizes and i’m not sure which i like best. i actually use both, depending on what i’m wearing and how i’m feeling.

 

items you need:

• fabric of your choice

• strip of hook and loop closure (Velcro)

• fiber fill material (Poly-Fil)

• straight pins

• sewing machine

 

you’ll want to start by cutting your fabric into two pieces that are about 3 1/2″ wide and 6″ – 9″ long, depending on what size you want. then cut the Velcro into a strip about 3″ long. if you make a small port pillow, you only need one piece of Velcro, but use 2 pieces for a longer port pillow.

pin the soft side of the Velcro to the right side of one piece of fabric, about 3″ from the top, running parallel to the short side of the fabric, and lined up with the left edge of the fabric. pin the soft side of the other piece of Velcro about 3″ below the first, aligned the same way.

attach the rough side of the Velcro to the soft side, making sure to line up the edge of the Velcro to the right edge of the fabric. this piece will stop short before reaching the left edge of the fabric. do the same for the bottom piece of Velcro.

be sure to line them up straight across the fabric, otherwise the pieces won’t match up on the finished product, like below…

oops!

 

 

if you’re making a smaller pillow, use one strip of Velcro and pin it in the middle of the fabric.

stitch the edges of the Velcro to the fabric.

top this piece of fabric with the matching piece you cut out, with right sides touching, and pin three sides together – both long sides and one short side, leave the top short side open so you can stuff it with Poly-Fil later.

stitch the pinned sides together. be sure you only stitch through one layer of Velcro, otherwise you’ll sew the Velcro closed.

you now have an inside out pocket. turn it right side out, use the stuffing tool, a chop stick or the handle of a wooden spoon to poke the corners all the way out. once turned right side out, undo the Velcro – this will make stuffing the pillow easier.

use the Poly-Fil to stuff the pillow to your desired amount of fluffiness. again, use the stuffing tool, chop stick or wooden spoon handle to get the stuffing all the way to the end and into the corners. fill the pillow to about half an inch from the opening.

turn the raw edges of the fabric down about 1/4″ and tuck inside the opening and pin shut.

stitch the pillow closed, as close to the edge as possible.

reattach the Velcro and you are finished! i’m not a very fast sewer, so once i got everything cut out, it took me about 15 – 20 minutes to make one pillow.

to use, simply attach the port pillow to your seat belt, like this…

or this…

you can place the pillow in different locations, depending on your preference. you can put it right over the port, like this…

further down, in your cleavage, like this…

or further up, on your shoulder, like this…

where ever is the most comfortable for you is perfect!

 

 

i hope this little tutorial has made sense. like i said, i’m not much of a seamstress, so don’t look too closely at my stitching! also, if you have suggestions on how to make these easier or faster, please let me know!

happy, comfortable driving!