A lot of people have been asking about the port and want me to share pictures. Bandages are still on, so you can't see anything. I can take them off in a couple days, so I'll share pictures then. Here's what it looks like now:
I have a Power Port, which is shown below. When I get chemo or have blood drawn, the nurse will stick me through my skin where the purple part (the catheter) is. This purple part is under the skin but you can see a lump where it's located. The tube is attached to a major vein (again, under the skin). There's nothing outside the skin, but once the bandages are off you'll be able to see where the catheter and tube are under my skin. You can Google it if you want to see more pictures and I'll post some once I take the bandages off.
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| How sexy is my hospital gown?! |
I was completely knocked out for this surgery. When I woke up I wasn't too sore, but it did hurt to swallow - not from the breathing tube, but the muscles you use to swallow were sore. I was in recovery for about 30 minutes or so, and by the time I left I was pretty sore. Josh stopped and picked up my Vicodin prescription and then I slept the rest of the day! I woke up a couple of times to eat, that was it!
This morning I'm still pretty sore. My neck muscles hurt a little, but most of the pain is around my collar bone (where the tubes attach to the vein) and my upper chest (where the catheter is located). My surgeon said it will be sore for a few days.
My sweet husband took great care of me yesterday. He made me food, brought me drinks, and even got me flowers (gladiolas - which remind me of my Gram).
Tomorrow's the dreaded Bone Marrow Biopsy. I'll let you all know how that goes tomorrow. But today, I've got nothing to do (except work, of course), so I'm going to enjoy it!
Love,
Melissa
Interesting! No "hot/cold" hook-ups. Steve had a port, also, but his had tubing that came out and he had to maintain during his treatment.
ReplyDeleteKind of reminds me of a fistula.
It's like a dialysis fistula in that it's completely under the skin, but because it's artificial it's more like a dialysis "graft". That's where they cut a vein and insert a loop of tubing which becomes a target for needles, like your little heart.
ReplyDeleteDownside is you still need to get stuck with a needle. You can get a lidocaine-prilocaine ointment that you apply to the skin an hour before treatment that numbs the area where the needle goes.
Hey Uncle Duke!
DeleteThey did give me a numbing cream to put on the port site an hour before I have chemo or a blood draw. I have really little veins (that love to hide when being poked), so the port will be so nice - no more jabbing around in my arms, wrists, and hands trying to get the vein!