The Port is No More!

The port is gone. I feel strangely empty. I can't feel the tube in my chest running up into the blood vessel in my neck. I didn't realize I could feel its presence so much, but now that it is gone, I am keenly aware of the nothingness. No hard protruding disk above my breast. Kinda cool.

I am a little bruised and swollen, but not hurting too badly yet. The procedure itself went smoothly. Got the IV in one stick. I had a few moments of concern when I was all draped and covered waiting for them to start and the doc came in and started poking around the port. I was terrified he was going to start without sedating me. The drapes were over my head so I couldn't see what was happening. And in fact, he did start shooting up the area with numbing meds before the happy drugs were administered. Which hurt way, way more than something designed to numb you should. Holy shit, I even made a noise, said "oww, oww, oww," which is something I rarely do. I try not to react to pain during procedures, it doesn't help, and I imagine it stresses out the practitioner. I don't want to distract them. But I whimpered some and quickly stopped myself, instead asking, "I am going to get the IV sedation right?" He replied, "Yeah, its on the way" as he proceeded to have at me with the scalpel. I was barely numb, could definitely tell he was cutting my skin. It was numb enough not too hurt too badly, but I was very glad when the happy drugs started flowing a few seconds later and I was able to doze a little while they did the deed.


It was over pretty quickly and I was happy to see that the doc excised the old scar as I asked. They weren't sure they could do it, but I thought as long as they were slicing me up, they may as well slice off the wide, ugly scar and let me start fresh. And since I am not starting chemo tomorrow as I did the day after it was implanted, I should heal much, much better and faster and cleaner. Health does have its advantages.

I have been helping my Mom set up a blogspot because she started blogging a bit on myspace. I read a few of her posts and I think she is much too good to be relegated to myspace. So I am proud to introduce you to my mom, the RN Blogger at Whatever You Do, Don't Take the Thumb. Check her out at your leasure.


My incision is starting to ache now, so I guess I will go take something.