Port Implanted... Installed... Whatever...

I made it!  The port is installed.  They say it will make my life so much easier - but I hate it.  Maybe I will start to like it after I see how easy it is to use.  Maybe I will like it after I realize they don't have to stick me so many times to take 32 vials of blood anymore.  Maybe I won't like it and never will.  They are drawing that blood right under my chin!  Am I supposed to be ok with that?  I dunno, but right this minute, I don't like it.

So for those of you getting a port implanted, here is what it looks like two days later:

The port is the large area at the bottom. I don't know what they did above, but there is a tiny place they cut there.  The port is stitched, glued then steri-stripped they said.  As you can see, I had a mild reaction to the Tagaderm covering, but it is just itchy not painful.

I was AWAKE the entire time. They gave me atavan which relaxed me and something else that was supposed to make me not know what was going on, but I knew everything.  I tried to get the dweeb that placed my nasal cannula in my nose to correct it.  One side was closing off my nostril instead of IN my nostril.  He said he did, but he didn't - in fact he made it worse.  They covered my head and made me look left.  Anyone that knows me knows I am claustrophobic as heck.  I made it through probably because of the atavan, but I still had to really breathe to calm that last nerve.  But I got through it.

The most painful part was getting the Novocaine shots in my chest.  That stung like the bejeebers - but only for a few seconds.  Once that took over, I could only feel movement, pushing and shoving (?), but no pain.  Fun stuffs I tell ya!  

Next time, I want the sleepy juice to work please?

The surgical site itself was a bit painful the first day - especially to eat!  Did you realize you use chest muscles to bite food?  Eating my sandwich hurt!  Lol... I have only taken extra strength TYLENOL (not generic - it is like taking water!) to ease the discomfort.  Other than that, I haven't needed anything for pain at all.  

So it is finished, I have it and I will deal with it.

This disease is not easy to deal with.  I won't gripe or complain, just say it is a pain in the last to deal with - on so many levels it isn't even funny.

And today, I am running some errands with hubby, sewing (wait until you see what I am making!) and resting some more.  Life is good even with my health sucks.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!  Mine will be great - I am staying home after our errands today.  There's your update!  Love ya!