1 down, 5 to go!

So I have to say for all the build up you hear of chemo, it definitely wasn't a bad start.

Tuesday was my port insertion surgery. I got there on time and as required, they took blood work from me (after needing to go through several veins...not fun. Thank you IVF for basically corroding my veins after pricking me so many times). So as I'm trying to relax and calm myself down before surgery, the nurse comes in, asks my parents and Jason to clear the room, closes the curtain around me, and then with a super concerned face then says to me: "You just tested a weak positive for pregnancy." WHAT! This is NOT what I need now!!!

Ok, before anyone else freaks out like I did, something clicked in my head (how I was rationally thinking after hearing this was beyond me) and I advised the nurse that I had had fertility treatments and had my eggs harvested last Wednesday and the day before that I needed to take a HCG shot which was probably the reason I was testing positive. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" (Um. because IVF never thought to tell me that if I'm having surgery or any blood work done for a week after, that I probably should advise anyone about the HCG shot).

Other than that, the surgery went great. Apparently I talked through the surgery while under anesthesia. (Insert jokes here about how lawyers never shut up). I was surprised, however, to wake up with TWO incisions on me - one for the port and one for the neck. I didn't really understand why 2 cuts were needed.

Wikipedia helped me explain about the port:
A port consists of a reservoir compartment (the portal) that has a silicone bubble for needle insertion (the septum), with an attached plastic tube (the catheter). The device is surgically inserted under the skin in the upper chest or in the arm and appears as a bump under the skin. It requires no special maintenance and is completely internal so swimming and bathing are not a problem. The catheter runs from the portal and is surgically inserted into a vein (usually the jugular vein, subclavian vein, or superior vena cava). Ideally, the catheter terminates in the superior vena cava, just upstream of the right atrium. This position allows infused agents to be spread throughout the body quickly and efficiently.

The septum is made of a special self-sealing silicone rubber; it can be punctured hundreds of times before it weakens significantly. To administer treatment or to withdraw blood, a health professional will first locate the port and disinfect the area. Then he or she will access the port by puncturing the overlying skin with a 90° Huber point needle although a winged needle may also be used. (Due to its design, there is a very low infection risk, as the breach of skin integrity is never larger than the caliber of the needle.) Negative pressure is created to withdraw blood into the vacuumized needle, to check for blood return and see if the port is functioning normally. Next, the port will be flushed with a saline solution. Then, treatment will begin. After each use, a heparin lock is made by injecting a small amount of heparinized saline (an anticoagulant) into the device. This prevents development of clots within the port or catheter. In some catheter designs where there is a self-sealing valve at the far end, the system is locked with just saline. The port can be left accessed for as long as required. The port is covered in a dressing to protect the site from infection and to secure the needle in position.
If a port is used infrequently, it may be necessary to access the port, flush it with saline, and inject a new heparin lock every month to prevent clotting between uses.

The surgery itself is considered minor, and is typically performed under both local anaesthesia and conscious sedation. Patients sometimes have a little discomfort after the procedure, and can be managed with a narcotic, such as demerol for 24–48 hours.

A port is most commonly inserted as a day surgery procedure in a hospital or clinic by a surgeon or an interventional radiologist, under conscious sedation. When no longer needed, the port can be removed in the operating room.


In any event, when the anesthesia finally wore off, my neck was killing me. The other incision was ok, it didn't hurt as much. Not to mention that they had used some blue ointment which made me look like a smurf from the neck down and oh, I wasn't allowed to shower for 48 hours. Lovely.

My job surprised me later that afternoon when a GORGEOUS flower arrangement arrived. Thank you! Check it out:

I got a call from my oncologist later that day who had also seen my blood test results and - just to be sure I wasn't pregnant - made me come in at 7 am on Wednesday morning to take another blood test to make sure my HCG levels had gone down (which would confirm it was indeed the HCG shot and that I wasn't pregnant). While waiting for my blood test results, Mom and I went to eat a hearty breakfast at a nearby IHOP before chemo and Jason joined us. Afterwards, we got to the Breast Cancer Center, settled in, snuggie on, sock booties on, and hair in a ponytail and I was ready.

Since I wasn't allowed to put any lydocaine on my port since I just got it the day before, when the nurse had to insert the needle, it was beyond painful. Picture puncturing a sore wound as you apply hard pressure on said sore wound. Not fun at all.

They started with a whole bunch of steroids (which are preventing me from sleeping properly), Benadryl (how I stayed awake after getting 50 mg of Benadryl is beyond me), and some other minor drugs, I officially started my chemo drugs around 11 am and we were done and outta there by 3 pm. Stephanie brought us Offerdahl's for lunch and I enjoyed a yummy salad.

So, being that I was there for over 6 hours, the funny thing is I have no recollection - other than sitting w/Stephanie and enjoying lunch - what I did for those 6 hours. Yes, I played on my Ipad, yes, I took a short nap, yes, I spoke to my mom but where did the time go?

The only side effects so far are restlessness from the steroids, and this morning, my mom told me that my face is very flushed, but I'm not hot or feeling anything else. Stay tuned for symptom updates.