Port procedure

Three weeks into my chemotherapy regimen, after all the holidays, I was finally scheduled for a port procedure -- this time at Dana Farber in Boston. My overall experience at this location wasn't that great, though the actual procedure went well.

Who knew that within several weeks, I would play favorites! I so like my satellite office at Chestnut Hill (parking, easy registration, direct communications), that I am looking forward to going there tomorrow for chemo treatment instead of Boston.

After a flood of communication of where, when, and required preregistration, it turned out that I was supposed to be at a different building, different floor to draw blood, than rush across the street to yet another floor to check in, then brought along some convoluted labyrinth to the prep station. All this confusion at 7 AM in the morning

with nobody to ask is no fun. Then the nightmare of the nurse not being able to get an IV inserted started. She tried 5 times (!), which was excruciating and with each time she did it with more determination and less care, as if by sheer will her random stabbing would amount to anything. It turns out that large hospitals normally have an IV team that I could have requested... In comparison to that IV experience, the actual cut open procedure felt like a holiday! :)

So, back to the port. Until a month ago I didn't even know such thing existed or were highly desired. A port, per Doctor Google's definition: "A vascular access procedure involves placing a thin hollow plastic tube into a vein to permit drawing blood tests, and giving medications or transfusions directly into the bloodstream, over a period of weeks, months or even years."

In layman's terms, during an hour under local sedation in a bright white room (just like in all those hospital dramas), a small round blip was placed under the skin just below my right clavicle bone. I could hear everyone, see the gleaming machines that performed ultrasound and what else, but sorts of from very, very far away.

And now this will be used for all the blood draws and infusions, though I am hoping not tomorrow, as it takes several days to heal...