So...I know it's been a while since I've posted. Needless to say it's been a busy week and most of it's been spent recovering from everything I've had done.
To start, I had the port put in and all I have to say is G-R-E-A-T S-U-C-C-E-S-S!!! We did run into some hiccups along the way but I won't go in to detail about that as it was more to do with the staff we dealt with and not the overall process. I find that in the event someone else who may be reading this is looking for reassurance in their own journey, my purpose is not to scare you, but to show you that I was fine! :)
We checked in for the port at 12:30 with a 2:00 procedure time. I went back pretty much right away to get my hospital garb on and get an IV started. I have to admit, the IV hurt a bit but that was because they put it in my hand and is not the case with with all people. I guess I was just lucky :). Unfortunately for me, my 2:00 procedure time turned to 5:00. It was the day after a holiday weekend and there was an emergency that bumped me back, so all I can say in looking back at it is that at least it wasn't me with the emergency.
The total procedure time was about 30 minutes. They took me back to the procedure room and had me get on the OR table. They gave me twilight medication to make me out of it and I actually ended up falling asleep. What I remember though is that they cleaned the area (obviously) and they actually used an ultrasound or some type of imaging to help them put the port in. So don't be worried if it reminds you of lying on a table for an x-ray. When I woke up, I was just ready to go. Unfortunately at that point it was nearly 6pm-6:30 and I hadn't eaten anything since midnight. It made me lightheaded so we had to stick around a bit while I ate some graham crackers and drank some juice. But then we were free!!!
The next couple days I was sore but nothing that wasn't manageable. Per my oncologist, I just took some Tylenol as I needed it. Go figure, after a month of babying my right side from my lumpectomy, I went into full swing of babying the left and ended up pulling a muscle in my back on the right. So I ended up having a sore left-front side, and an aching back-right side. Not Fun!
A week later, I'm happy to say the surgical glue is starting to come off and while I'm anxious to get it off because it itches, I'm being as patient as I can to make sure it heals properly. Initially it felt weird to turn my neck but now I really can't feel it in me other than when I touch it or the catheter. It's definitely visible under my skin and makes me feel somewhat like a cyborg, but I'm somewhat proud that I have it. I know I'm doing everything I can to better help me get through the chemo.
I had Chemo prep today actually and they went ahead and did blood work. It was my first time accessing the port (at least while I was awake). All in all, it actually was surprisingly harmless. Let me tell you, it by far beats having a needle stick every day and seeing my arms getting bruised. All in all, I was really impressed with how well it went and how easy it was. They give me a cream to help numb it but because the surgical glue was still on, we couldn't use it. Instead, they just gave me an ice pack to help numb the area. They also flushed the port and gave me some Heparin to help prevent clotting. All in all, I'd day from the time they accessed the port to the time it was over, it was maybe 5 minutes? Not bad at all. I think I could get used to this (when you consider the alternative!)
Ok, I'll write back tomorrow to catch everyone up on everything else from this past week including chemo training and the IVF stuff.
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