13th - Under the Tent, Dreaming

Special thanks today to my brother Doug (middle brother of 3 boys) for getting up at the crack of dawn to take me to the hospital.  This is becoming a bad habit, as Doug also drove me to my first knee surgery a few years ago.  I hope I never repay this particular type of favor to you Doug.

Next, let me apologize to CMC-University, which in a moment of anger yesterday I referred to as a "B-level" facility.  Everyone was great there this morning and I successfully had my port placed.

This was another surgery performed under mild anesthesia (a.k.a. "Twilight")...so although I do not recall everything, I feel like I was very engaged...which you know the doctors and nurses loved.  As part of the preparation for the surgery, a sheet was taped to the base of my neck and then used to create a "tent" where a nurse could sit beside me and neither of us would see the real action going on.  This nurse, Charlotte, and I talked about music, work, my upcoming chemo and many other things as I prodded her for additional narcotics.  I was done in about 75 minutes, then spent another hour or so in recovery until I was discharged.

The port is under the large piece of gauze.  The smaller piece of gauze is an incision they made to help guide the catheter into a vein headed to my heart.

You can see the "port" below the scar (this photo was taken in March after a few months of healing).  It has several "bumps" to guide needles into it.  You can also see the catheter running up and over the clavicle, then into a large vein that then runs to the heart.

Chemo starts tomorrow at 10 AM at Dr. Frenette's office in Ballantyne.  I am scared, but find confidence in the fact that I have chosen the right doctor and that all of you are thinking of me and praying for me.

Bring on the Red Devil & Friends (sounds like a bad children's TV show)!