Deported

The port removal surgery was this week. I rolled into the surgical unit at 6am (after spending a half hour the previous evening on the phone preregistering) to register AGAIN. They gave me my medical bracelet and allergy bracelet and I put on the fashion forward hospital gown.

I'm allergic to cats. I'm not sure what that had to do with my surgery but they tagged me anyway. I'm told surgical stitches used to be made of CAT GUTS so they just wanted the surgeon alerted.

IV's hooked up, CBC and various blood tests taken. I stopped taking Coumadin three days before this so I wouldn't bleed to death on the table. Eventually I got the sedative and they rolled me down to the dark, gloomy basement. Then they gave me more sedative. I stated my name and birthday 152 times to various staff and told them what I was having done. I didn't want to wake up without a right leg or something worse.

Finally I was taken into the operating room with all the bright lights. It always looks like it's right out of a medical tv show. The room was spinning and they wrapped/tucked my arms underneath me with foam things and I thought I'd fall off the skinny table on which I had just scooched from the rolling medical bed. I told them I was pretty dizzy and one of the six nurses and anesthesiologists said "Haven't you been given sedative yet?" just before I felt a huge RUSH of medication. Apparently they don't like chit chat in the OR.

They put tubes up my nose, rubbed various ointments or disinfectants all over my chest and covered my face with lightweight paper/tissue. I thought- ummm, they didn't do this last time- do they know I'm awake? Every Dateline and 20/20 I've ever seen about people that FELT their entire surgery because they weren't unconscious flashed through my mind. These people were about to slice me open and untwist wires from my vena cava. I certainly didn't want to feel it.

So I talked some more. I thanked everyone for their help with my port and asked if I could keep it. I was told hospitals no longer allow people to keep body parts or implantable devices because they are abused (someone put a gall bladder stone in a soda and made a person sick) so I couldn't take my port. Then they must have administered the Twilight medication; I remember faint voices but woke still on the operating table when they were finished.

No bandages, no mess. Just a glued up chest that feels tight, itchy and uncomfortable. I took the pain medication they gave me for the next day but it makes me sick so I'd rather go through the pain. No showers or baths allowed for a few days but then I'll be back to normal!

Bye bye port. Thanks for everything.

Meeting with my oncologist on October 18th and scans to follow. Love to all- :)