Port in the Storm

Much less going on this week, thankfully. The big event was Wednesday, April 24, when I had surgery to install a chemo port in my chest. We were scheduled to be the second operation of the morning, but it turned out that whoever had the first surgery had cancelled. They tried to call us to get us to come in early but, for some reason, I never heard the call. We still had to get to the hospital by 8:30 am and, once we arrived, they expedited our prep for surgery. 

Everything seemed fine, except that the anesthesiologist told me that I would be getting sedation that would keep me awake and able to talk to them if I needed to. I explained to him that I had a pretty strong vasovagal response, and that it was probably better for everyone involved if I was not the least bit aware of what was going on during surgery. He was not swayed by that argument, though, and kept insisting that I would be aware but "wouldn't care" what was happening. 

Okay, doc. We'll see. You can't say you haven't been warned.

I'm happy to report that he was right. I was semi-conscious the entire time, and really didn't care. There was one point where (I think) they were threading the tube of the port into a vein which felt really weird. Uncomfortably weird. It came and passed, though, and I just didn't care. Interesting stuff, that anesthesia.

For anyone reading this who may not know, a chemo port is something designed to streamline the chemical injection and blood draw processes. Instead of searching for a vein each time, everything can be done through the port. I'm also under the impression that injecting chemicals through a vein in one's arm can be problematic in a couple ways. 

It feels strange to have this thing on my chest now (perhaps especially because it's still healing and tender) but I can definitely understand the advantage of doing things this way. I'm hoping it will ease the anxiety associated with my cursed vasovagal response as well. We are waiting for my insurance to approve the prescribed chemo treatment. Assuming that all eventually goes through, my fingers are crossed that the port works without a hitch.