Milestone

It's been a whirlwind of work, friends and family since we returned from our wonderful trip to Nashville. We felt very blessed to have been invited to such a terrific event. We met lots of amazing people and really enjoyed Nashville.

Tomorrow, I am reaching a milestone-for many cancer survivors, that is. Awhile ago I wrote a post about my port. Well, tomorrow is the big day that we will be parting ways. Even though I still go to the doctor every 3 months, I have decided after 7 years together, we are going to break up. You've been a good sport, Port.

Before the craziness of grad school starts, I figured I would have the time to rest after getting it out and can muster up the strength to get stuck in my arm every 3 months...

Pros of getting it out:
-No more plastic device in my body
-It's a step in healing
-I could (if I wanted to) play high impact sports
-Do not have to worry about it getting infected
-Forced rest

Cons:
-I've had to stop one of my medicines for a few days and it has left me with horrible headaches and soreness...ugh.
-It's surgery with an incision, soreness and possible complications (low chance)
-I will have to get IVs in the arms again
-If I ever need to get a port again, my places to put a new one will be limited (I have had 2 external central lines and I think 3 internal ports over the years).

Today, I am thankful for a wonderful summer, hope, friends, family, and God.

Rach

Medical Ports 101

It seems that at least once a week people will find out about my port or something and ask, what is it and how does it work, etc. Let me tell you!

It may sound icky and scary at first but I am so grateful for mine and in my opinion, I think it is one of the best inventions besides Zofran (nausea med). It has made my life SO much easier to get the medicines that helped kill my cancer and medicines that kept me alive. I highly recommend them to anyone who has to have lots of IV medicine, chemotherapy, etc.

Port:
Synonyms: subcutaneous port
Definition: An implanted device through which blood may be withdrawn and medicines, chemo, blood transfusions, etc are given without repeated needle sticks elsewhere. This type of port is one surgically placed under the skin. It consists of a artificial septum, a self-sealing rubber material, which the needle can pierce, and a catheter that is placed in a blood vessel, usually a vein, frequently in the upper chest, just below the collarbone. It has a small, special bent needle that is inserted and attached to a tube that can be attached to a syringe, IV bag, etc. (I've never had a needle like the one in the illustration below-now, that looks scary!)

People also want to know why do I still have mine? I have not had chemo is about 4 years. Well, because it's really my choice when to get it out and it does not limit me in anything that I do. I have had lots of random medical problems, MRIs (the contrast goes through it), blood checks and infections since then. I also have veins that are hard to stick and the port is usually 1 stick with little to no pain (they have instant numbing meds!). For example, it will come in handy tomorrow for my wisdom teeth surgery's anesthesia! One less thing to worry about.

So, that's my port and we'll see when "we" decide to part ways. Another thing, getting it out requires another surgery and a little recovery which I'm not looking forward to...

Today, I am thankful for: my port, getting my project done, friends and family.

Adios amigos!

Rach