Well--I officially have a port. It was by far the worst experience so far. I know--many more experiences to come. But- - - this sucked. They would only give me local for where I was getting cut. No anti-anxiety meds, no help you feel sleepy drugs because of my pregnancy. It was just a horrible 45 minutes of holding my head in a weird position and trying to focus on my breathing. I know the port is a wonderful invention that will save my arms from 1,000's of pokes and I am grateful to the people who invented it. But, getting one put in is a horrible experience. They push, pull, and cut their way through the muscles in your chest. You go home looking and feeling like someone punched you in the chest.
For those of you unaware, a port is a small device implanted UNDER your skin. It has a small catheter that feeds into a vein in your neck, then feeds to just above your heart. It is used to infuse medicine as well as draw blood. The picture below is the exact model I have. The little plastic part in the middle is wear they poke the needle.
To insert it, they make an incision then create a pocket (I have NO IDEA how that works), and insert it into the pocket and close up. It was NOT a pleasant 45 minutes--but I am sure i have plenty of bad days ahead. This seemed to be more of an appetizer of what is to come. Right now what lies ahead is is all unknowns. I am sure in a few weeks as all of these firsts are checked off my fears will abate to a large degree. There are always unknowns, but I have so many questions around how I will personally react to chemo. All to be answered in the coming weeks and be recorded here.
For those of you unaware, a port is a small device implanted UNDER your skin. It has a small catheter that feeds into a vein in your neck, then feeds to just above your heart. It is used to infuse medicine as well as draw blood. The picture below is the exact model I have. The little plastic part in the middle is wear they poke the needle.
To insert it, they make an incision then create a pocket (I have NO IDEA how that works), and insert it into the pocket and close up. It was NOT a pleasant 45 minutes--but I am sure i have plenty of bad days ahead. This seemed to be more of an appetizer of what is to come. Right now what lies ahead is is all unknowns. I am sure in a few weeks as all of these firsts are checked off my fears will abate to a large degree. There are always unknowns, but I have so many questions around how I will personally react to chemo. All to be answered in the coming weeks and be recorded here.
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