My 2nd port

My port is in.  Surgery went well and I got home around 5pm yesterday.  I’m pretty sore today but I’m staying in bed and my mom is coming to take care of me so I’ll make it.

As we were headed towards the hospital yesterday I realized I didn’t remember anything about the surgery process.  Luckily the nurses and doctors were there to guide me through everything J  I'm surprised I don't remember though, I've had several surgeries at this hospital and the nurses even remember me! 

This picture is post-op.  The long line going up and down is where the port was inserted. The shorter, horizontal line on my neck is where the catheter goes into my vein.  

 

The catheter is a small, soft tube that is placed inside one of the large central veins that takes blood to my heart.

This is the actual port that is inside me.  (Crazy!!) 

When I go in for chemo, a special kind of needle is inserted into my skin in the middle of the vertical line on my chest.  This is how the port is accessed.  The catheter takes the chemo to my blood and heart. (I didn’t know about the heart part but I guess that makes sense – blood pumps to and from the heart, right?)

Here I am after surgery.  Thumbs up! 

See that bag hanging in the front of the picture?  That’s sodium chloride.  When I told the anesthesiologist I wished I could’ve drank water before surgery because I drank wine the night before she upped the drip and gave me more.  What does this mean?  Have you heard of the Remedy Room in New Orleans?  Or Hangover Heaven in Las Vegas? Or the IV Doctor who makes house calls in New York. Well, my Anesthesiologist hooked me up with a little cure, I mean not that I was hung over but I was thirsty J