Yesterday I had surgery to remove my port. We had to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. but the surgery wasn't actually scheduled until 8 a.m. After checking in I had to fill out paperwork again where I had to list my medications. I wish they would remind us to bring a list with me when the hospital called to tell me the time of the surgery. Chemo brain makes it very hard to remember the names let alone the dosage of all my prescriptions, vitamins, and any other over the counter things I am taking. My nurse was nice but she wasn't very good with inserting my IV. She tried twice but couldn't get it it. She spent several minutes, it felt like about 15 minutes, with the needle inserted in my hand fishing around trying to catch something. It felt like she was trying to thread it clear up my arm. That was probably the most painful time I have ever had with an IV. I have had nurses miss before but I don't ever remember them fishing around for so long. Thank heavens she gave up after two tries. The nurse anesthetist that came in got it in my arm before I even realized she was done. I wish she was there earlier.
I was completely ready by about 7:15 a.m. I watched TV until they took me in around 8:30. The surgery took about 15-20 minutes. I asked Dr. Jordan to save my port so that I could show everyone what it looks like. It is about 10 inches long, 3/4 inch high, and the base is 1 1/4 inches across, just a little bigger than a quarter. The tube that went into my vain near my heart is about 1/8 " across. I am sooooo glad to have that out. Yesterday with the bandaging still on it almost felt like it was still there. It seems strange to feel my collar bone and not feel the tube going over the top. I can still see where the tube was. The skin is a slightly different color than the skin around it, probably because it was irritated by the tube being under the skin for so long.
I arrived back in the pre-op room a little before 9:00 and left for radiation around 9:30. I think we were home by 10:00. I went right in and went to bed. I ate around 1:00 then stayed in bed most of the day. I didn't hurt too bad until the local anesthesia started to wear off in the evening. I hate pain medicine so all I took was ibuprofen. That seemed to be enough.
Radiation was harder today because my left shoulder is pretty sore. I am going to have to try not to use my right arm very much because every time I move the muscle it hurts. I can even feel it when I am typing.
Not much has changed with Shawn. He had an MRI of his neck on Tuesday. I picked up a copy of the MRI of his head that he had done in February 2007 to take to his new neurologist. I am going to drop that off at his office tomorrow. Part of me is dreading going to his appointment next week because it feels like we have been here before. Every time he would have a new test for his stomach problems they would tell us that everything was normal and that they didn't know why he was having the pain or what to do about it. Then they would say it must be some illness that has a name but basically covers everything that doesn't show up on a test then they would send us home without any answers or improvement in his problem. At this point the doctor thinks he has solved the problem because he has put a name to it. He pats himself on the back and moves on to someone else so you start looking for another doctor who won't give up until they help relieve the problem. A few weeks later we get the bill for several hundred dollars and feel helpless because your child is obviously in pain and their is nothing you can do about it. I don't want them to find anything seriously wrong yet I hope they see something that gives them an idea of how to help him before he misses another year of school and life.
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