SolandMonica.com

I have a Power Port!  Today ended up being much longer than I thought that it would be – 7 hours instead of 5 at the hospital!  I am home now and doing just fine.  I feel a little stiff, but I think that’s because I don’t want to move too much.  I am afraid that I will do something wrong and it will all come apart.  Silly, I know, but true none-the-less.

Overall, I am feeling well.  I am a bit tired and will be going to bed soon, but am thankful that this part is over and that I will only have to be poked one more time (tomorrow) before using the port.  The port takes a week to “mature”.  It will not be ready tomorrow.

If you want the details of today – keep reading,  if you don’t – skip to the end!

The whole reason that I am getting the port is because my veins are becoming harder and harder to find.  This was truly evident when they were putting in the IV.  It was really painful and continued to be painful for the next 6 hours until it was taken out.  There was blood all over my arm after she put the IV in, and it didn’t get washed of until I got home.  They wheeled me into the room and I laid there watching them get everything ready.  I can’t have anything done to my right arm (like blood pressure, blood draws and IVs) so they put the blood pressure cuff on my leg.  When it squeezed my calf, it felt like a Charlie Horse and I was screaming.  They did it twice and then just put it on my left arm with the IV…not ideal, but definitely better than my leg.  I wasn’t put all the way out and don’t think that they gave me enough medicine.  I could hear and feel everything.  The doctor had to put a nick in my neck to feed the tube in, and when he did he said “Uh Oh.”  Not too comforting.  I could feel blood running down my neck!  Yuck!  Then when he made the hole for the Power Port, he said, “I tore a vein.”  I could feel pain and asked for medicine multiple times.  I think they may have ended up giving me too much as I was in recovery for a long time.  While in recovery, I asked for pain medication.  They have a new computer system at the hospital, which everyone was complaining about, and I had to wait more than 20 minutes to get any sort of pain killer.  Then it wasn’t enough, so they gave me more.  Anyway, that computer system really is bringing things to a halt over there.  It has only been a week and they’ll probably get faster, but when you looked around, all the nurses were on the computers trying to find where to input stuff and many patients were waiting around.  I would have been discharged sooner, but they couldn’t find where to print my discharge papers.  My friend, Keri, was told about 4 times that I would be ready in 30 minutes…she waited 3 hours just to see me!

It was a really frustrating day at the hospital, but it’s over and we’re moving on.  I start chemo tomorrow morning.  I am scared and nervous.  Sol’s mom comes in tonight and will be there with me tomorrow.  It will take about 3 1/2 hours pending it all goes smoothly!

Your prayers are so desired and felt!  I know that the Lord is in control of everything, and it is only through His strength that I get through each day doing what I must.

(Um, I just puked, need to go to bed.  Maybe, I’m not feeling as well as I thought I was!)

Love,

Monica

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