What. A. Day. Our day began bright and early (hence our beautiful photo to the left) at the hospital for Tom’s Iron Man (port) surgery, and despite some nerves – he has never “gone under” before – we were ready to get this thing in and get treatment going. They set him up on some fluids, asked him the routine questions for surgery and got him ready to go. After a brief delay, he was getting wheeled down to the Radiology Surgical area and we met with the doctor who showed us the port and walked us through the procedure.
The port is in Tom’s upper right chest and is a double line port – he’s got the Cadillac of ports – so that he can use the port to both receive chemo and also take out blood for the various testing required throughout this process. Ultimately, this fancy port eliminates the need for him to get pricked repeatedly and damage his veins. Small victories.
The actual port procedure was only about 30 minutes, the longer part was getting him in twilight and comfortable prior to and after the procedure. He was wheeled back to his pre-surgical room and had a little breakfast and boom – we were on our way home. For those that know me – I love an efficient operation :)
He relaxed this afternoon, got some rest and tomorrow we begin chemo. Chemo sort of feels like this dimly lit road that we know we have to walk down, but don’t quite know the way. We know all the side effects that COULD happen, we know it’s likely not going to be pleasant, but until we do it once, we really won’t know what to expect. Here’s hoping this is as pleasant as possible!
Highlights of today include:
1. A nurse who didn’t feel bad for ripping out Tom’s arm hair as she was pulling off the tape from IV – she calmly said “This is payback for the fact that men get to stand to pee”.
2. I’m getting comfortable in our new home away from home – here’s a shot of me working at the hospital and creating an efficient cup holder. Never mind the warning on the contraption that says “Not safe for skin exposure” – it’s just Diet Coke. (Photo Credit: Dorinda)
The port is in Tom’s upper right chest and is a double line port – he’s got the Cadillac of ports – so that he can use the port to both receive chemo and also take out blood for the various testing required throughout this process. Ultimately, this fancy port eliminates the need for him to get pricked repeatedly and damage his veins. Small victories.
The actual port procedure was only about 30 minutes, the longer part was getting him in twilight and comfortable prior to and after the procedure. He was wheeled back to his pre-surgical room and had a little breakfast and boom – we were on our way home. For those that know me – I love an efficient operation :)
He relaxed this afternoon, got some rest and tomorrow we begin chemo. Chemo sort of feels like this dimly lit road that we know we have to walk down, but don’t quite know the way. We know all the side effects that COULD happen, we know it’s likely not going to be pleasant, but until we do it once, we really won’t know what to expect. Here’s hoping this is as pleasant as possible!
Highlights of today include:
1. A nurse who didn’t feel bad for ripping out Tom’s arm hair as she was pulling off the tape from IV – she calmly said “This is payback for the fact that men get to stand to pee”.
2. I’m getting comfortable in our new home away from home – here’s a shot of me working at the hospital and creating an efficient cup holder. Never mind the warning on the contraption that says “Not safe for skin exposure” – it’s just Diet Coke. (Photo Credit: Dorinda)
3. For the first time in almost two weeks Tom didn’t feel nauseous for a brief time! To make the most of this appetite prior to chemo starting tomorrow I got him whatever he was craving (and crossed my fingers he didn’t request our favorite pasta dish from our trip to Venice, Italy). Lucky for me he was just craving Outback!
4. While picking up a prescription for Tom, I got pulled over. I can summarize that entire experience with one sentence. I should have been a lawyer. I was lucky enough to get myself out of a big ‘ol ticket.
We will update everyone soon on how chemo is progressing – thanks for all the love and prayers!
4. While picking up a prescription for Tom, I got pulled over. I can summarize that entire experience with one sentence. I should have been a lawyer. I was lucky enough to get myself out of a big ‘ol ticket.
We will update everyone soon on how chemo is progressing – thanks for all the love and prayers!