Daily Living – Drug Pumps
After the initial healing period (6 to 8 weeks), the drug pump will become a routine part of your day.
Seeing the Pump
Your pump is placed near the surface of your skin for refill access. You may be able to see the pump under your skin when it is not covered with clothes, or if you are wearing fitted clothes. Depending on where the pump is implanted and its size, as well as your body type, it may not show at all under your clothes.
Doctor Visits
You will need to return to your doctor's office periodically for checkups and to have your pump refilled. The medication in your pump needs to be refilled every 5 to 25 weeks, depending on the type of medication and your dosage.
Refilling and Adjusting the Pump
The doctor fills the pump with pain medication using a needle. You and your doctor must work together to find the dose of medication that is most comfortable for you.
Finding the best pain medication dose for you may take some time. With the SynchroMed® II pump, you can also have different doses programmed to adjust to different activities or times of the day.
Caution With Activities
Some movements may stretch or put strain on the catheter or on the stitches that hold your pump in place. Your doctor may give you guidelines for activities to avoid.
Although the catheter is made of flexible and durable materials, it is still subject to wear. Excessive or repetitive bending, twisting, bouncing, or stretching can move or stretch the catheter. This damage may require surgery to repair.
Understanding Pump Alarms
Your pump is equipped with alarms that will sound when:
- The pump needs to be refilled
- The pump needs to be replaced
- There is a problem with the pump
The alarm signals a critical or noncritical event in your infusion system. A critical alarm is a 3-second, dual-tone alarm. A critical alarm means that therapy will stop soon. A noncritical alarm is a single-tone alarm. A noncritical alarm requires a doctor or nurse’s attention but does not mean that therapy will necessarily stop soon.
If an alarm sounds, call your clinician as soon as possible.
Here is what the critical and non-critical alarms sound like:
Please note that the volume of the alarm heard from your computer may be louder than the volume of the alarm heard from your implanted pump.
After your implant, ask your doctor to temporarily program your pump to sound the alarm in his or her office so you will recognize the sound if an alarm goes off in the future.
Realistic Expectations
Realistic expectations are key to satisfaction with any pain treatment. It is important to remember that your drug pump will not eliminate the source of your cancer pain or cure any underlying disease.
Removing the Pump
If you no longer need the pump or change your mind about the pain treatment, your doctor can turn it off or remove the system.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
- Print Page
- E-mail Page
- A
- A
- A Text Size
