This past Friday I had my port put in for chemo, and there were a few things I wasn’t really prepared for:
1. The surgery was an hour long, and I’d pictured it as much shorter. Of course, I was asleep through the whole thing, so this was harder on Boyfriend than it was on me.
2. Although I’d been warned that if my chest’s veins weren’t suitable, they might have to use my neck, I was still oddly surprised to wake up and find my neck swollen and looking like it was chewed on. I was prepared for my already sore/damaged chest to take another beating, but this opened up a whole new set of things.
3. I hadn’t properly prepared myself mentally for the backslide. I went into the hospital feeling mostly healed from surgery. I walked out feeling like a surgical patient again. And yah, I get it – it was right there in the name, “going to go have surgery.” But still, I found myself extremely depressed over the weekend, with my mobility impaired and no way to sleep comfortably between the two surgical sites. Having neck pain was just not something I’d considered, and I wasn’t ready to feel crappy again.
But it *was* a minor surgery, and I’m well on my way to healed already. And on a more positive note:
1. I had most of the same surgical/nursing staff, and we actually shared a lot of laughs. I did not need any anti-anxiety medicine going into surgery, although the resident who was observing asked what I had been given, because the surgeon and I were laughing so much – he assumed I’d been given something pretty good. 🙂
2. This was my first surgery/procedure without the hive-creating surgical prep, and we have proven that I can use iodine-based prep without developing horrible side effects. Since I have two more surgeries to look forward to, this was REALLY good news.
I’m feeling pretty okay now. Tomorrow I only have two doctor’s appointments (including my echocardiogram, a requirement before I can start chemo next week), and then I’m done with doctors through the entire holiday weekend. I like all my doctors, but I will absolutely not miss them.
Kate