Got to the hospital and went to radiology where Dr. Dragon’s nurse said the echo cardiogram was, didn’t seem right to me but figured she knew. Well, the echo cardiogram was in cardiology or whatever, but that was like barely down the hall, so no big deal. The nurse had me lay on my side with no shirt on and she squirted a bunch of lube on a phallic thing and rubbed the thinger on my chest then on my ribs on the left side and then for a little in the middle right my ribs and above them at my neck. The machine it’s self was pretty cool, shitload of switches and buttons and a track ball in the middle with two buttons. Her hands flew over the keys hitting them and flipping switches and selecting shit on the screen with the track ball. Watching her us it must be like what regular people see when nerds use computers and know where to go and hit keyboard shortcuts and whatnot. Looks like a black and gray thrashing mess to me, but I’m sure it meant more to her.
Next up went to radiology (she got that part right) for the surgery to get my port put in. Changed into a gown, they gave me a big one this time so no problem, the nurse came and brought me to a room, looked like a normal operating room except their was a huge contraption that I late found out was an x-ray machine. It had big metal hose looking things that attached it to the ceiling and it had a big thing that was most of a C shape, on the top point of the C a big flat black circle with silver ring around (apparently made by Siemens), looked sorta like those magnet things that they put on the end of a long wire-rope to pick up cars with a crane. Once I was laying down they moved the thing above me and said what it was. They put an IV in my arm (the left one, I still have the bruise and shit on my right arm) and shaved my chest some. They clean the area twice, the second one was with something that had blue stuff in it so they make sure to get everywhere. I’m still mostly blue on my right boob to my neck and half way across my chest to my armpit. Well, Rebecca Romijn definitely looks way better painted blue then I do. Anyway, they had me lay on my back with my head turned to the left. They didn’t put me all the way under, they gave me some stuff for what they call “twilight sleep” where it was kinda like right when you’re about to fall asleep. Made me not give a shit what was going on. I guess they gave me local anesthesia for my neck and chest. I kind of felt them messing with my neck and stuff and for the first few minutes like almost pain but not really, like less than someone putting an IV in and then after than not really any pain. I couldn’t see much and none of what they were doing. I had oxygen up my nose with a mask over that covering my nose and mouth. They put a blanket over most of my body then around the area they were actually working on they put “sterile towels” and taped them to me. It apparently took 30 minutes but I had no grasp on the time it took from the meds.
I have two wounds neither of which are very big. A smaller incision on my neck and a larger one on my chest like two or so inches, maybe a little more (I’d have to go look and I don’t feel like it). The one of my chest is like 4 or 5 inches from my shoulder. The port is like a centimeter or so above the incision on my chest. The tube goes from the port to the incision in my neck and then goes into my jugular and down into or almost into my heart (or so the dude said). I can kind of feel the tub that goes from the port to the other incision in my neck but I haven’t messed with it much because it hurts pretty good when I touch it. I can feel the port bump out. It’s pretty obvious to the touch. I have internal dissolvable stitches and that medical super glue shit holding the incision closed as well as some special tape shit that holds it closed too on top of that, so I can’t superly see the incision or the bump from the port. It doesn’t hurt that much to touch the port so far. The incision on my chest hurts but mainly only when it’s touched. The one on my neck is right where my shirt’s neck hole is, so that rubs on it a little bit which kinda sucks. Also, I move my neck way WAY more often then I touch my chest, so it’s more angry overall anyway, so it’s probably going to suck more, but we’ll see. Another thing is that I have a cough and each time I cough it hurts both wounds, especially my neck one. Sucks.
Something else that’s fun is that probably because of the position I had to lay in, my left hip and my left knee hurt, especially my hip which hurts like a bitch in some positions or while walking… or sitting some times… fucking a. Not sure why, but like 4 or 6 months ago my hip and knee started hurting for no apparent reason. Sucks.
They didn’t give me any pain pills and according to the nurse and the sheet they gave me I’m not supposed to have Advil or anything besides Tylenol for 2-3 days. Tylenol does kinda nothing for me and that little bit doesn’t last very long. I’ve still got a few Norco left from after the biopsy and have 7 remaining on my prescription from then too, so we’re picking those up. Also, we called the nurse we have a card for at the oncology department and she said to just take some advil if I had to. So we’ll see what I need. It didn’t hurt much at all when I was leaving the hospital and for an hour or so, but slowly has been hurting more and more overall. It doesn’t superly hurt yet and hopeing it doesn’t, but I’m guessing sleeping will be fun…
when I have someone else to take a picture of the incisions I may post some.
overall I don’t feel that shitty, hoping that continues. I have a breathing test on wednesday and they’ll go over the medications they prescribed and doses I should take, as well as the medication they’re using for chemo. Thursday I go in for the first day of chemo, they give me a little bit then wait and hour to make sure I don’t have a reaction to what they’re giving me and then if I don’t they give me the regular dose.
“…… The nurse had me lay on my side with no shirt on and she squirted a bunch of lube on a phallic thing and rubbed the thinger on my chest then ………”
Now stop right there. Now what does this sound like ? 🙂 😉
” …….they gave me a big one this time so no problem,………”
Wait a minute… they exist !? So that proves IT! They DO do that sh* on purpose !!!
“……Not sure why, but like 4 or 6 months ago my hip and knee started hurting for no apparent reason………”
Be good conversation to strike up with the old folks in the waiting room. 😉 Reading on to find out what happened post-chemo. Hope’n you’re hope has come through. That’s the roughest stage.