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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Splish Splash

5,4,3,2,1...and write. Well, I had my port a cath removed today. I wish they had warned me that I couldn't shower for a few days afterwards. If I had known, I would have showered this morning before going to the hospital. Instead, I went dirty and tonight I had to take a bath...a la those many months when I had a perm a cath and couldn't shower. I did listen to the new Justin Timberlake while taking my bath, so I guess that's a plus. It's curious, I will unabashedly tell anyone that I am a big fan of the song The Climb by Miley Cyrus. It's actually pretty motivational. But my growing Justin Timberlake appreciation I keep a little bit more on the down low. I do have my street cred to maintain.

We went to Long Beach Memorial at 8 this morning. It was a bit surreal walking in to the hospital. I spent a fair amount of time of there in the first year of my diagnosis. And during those times there, I wasn't always feeling too good. But today I walked in, feeling fine. It's just shy of two weeks of my diagnosis and getting my port. The nurse who prepped me was the same as before. The nurses and doctor who took the port out were the same as previous. So I really had that full circle experience.  The removal process itself took perhaps 20 minutes. They give a light dose of anaesthesia and a local, so I didn't even feel it.  When I was first diagnosed, I noticed that when I close my eyes, I can see shapes and figures, and depending on my mind set, those shapes can be frightening or soothing, Early on, those shapes were scary and ominous. I'd see nasty evil faces. Then as I started to do better, when my eyes were closed I'd see happier things. Smiling faces, clouds, trees, moving objects. During my acupuncture treatments, there is a whole lot of activity underneath my eye lids. I know my eyes move around watching these things and I wonder if someone could notice that.  Today during the port removal, all I saw were flat, smooth clouds, across the whole sky. No faces, no wildlife, just clouds. Kind of interesting.

They let me keep my port as a token of my journey. That thing has served me well. I need to let the wound heal for  a few days, then I can get back to working out. Tomorrow is back to work, and I already know it is going to be a busy day.  It's such a funky transition, going from hospital one day to work the next. I am sort of trapped in two worlds.

No lab results yet. I am anxious to see those. Friday is still Berenson and the kidney doctor.  And...I'm out. Until later.

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Berenson Oncology Success Rate

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