Chemo Week 1, Day 7 November 11, 2024 FISH HOOKS & FISHINGLINE

 Apparently this is no end to Angler Analogies I may glean from this temporary existence of mine.  I may even being referring to Treatments as my Fishing Trips... Probably not.  I enjoy fishing in the same way I enjoy golfing:

    - being outdoors on a beautiful day!

    - being near water (whether that be lake, ocean, stream, river or water hazard)

    - the mandatory quiet

    - the snacks

    - the close proximity of alcohol!

.... the actual activity at hand ... not so much.

Today i visited the Fairfax Vascular Center on Arlington Blvd, for a "MediPort check". After the port access debacle that was last Tuesday, my port had become so "adjustable" I was beginning to feel like a human fidget.  I could literally roll it back and forth from the outside.  

It is important to note that the Fairfax Vascular Center is NOT where my port was installed. I requested NOT to return to Dr. Spinosa. 

The lovely Doctor Rachel took my port for a few fidgets before calling in Dr. _____?_____ (I need to find his name, I liked him too), for a second opinion.  The three of us decided to give ne a local numbing (much like the stuff they gave me during the Biopsy) and suture it in on the spot.  As much as I wasn't thrilled about once again going under the knife still awake, I agreed that now, THERE was better than the anxiety of waiting for a hospital slot with an unknown doctor.

While I was still nervous the experience could not have been more different. 80's Rock was playing in the OR and I could still feel the pressure and the pulling (it is not dissimilar to a tiny C-section really) there was NO pain and no tears. Rachel and her nurses talked to each other and to me through the whole thing which helped me feel like a person and not just part of their assembly line.  It was Dr Rachel who compared my sutures to fishing line. So now I'm held in place with fishing line and accessed with a fish hook -- but am I the bait or the fish?

Nurse Lena (also 5 stars) took care of me before and after the 20-30 min procedure. She was an adorable angel. 

Matt was there too. The boys spent Sunday night at Lana & Rays (my in-laws) and we moved Joey's P/T conference by an hour so that Matt could drive me in. He's always there when I need him. 

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