Treatment #12, port installed

This week was challenging. I started by getting an infection in my lymph node, from the next step of my root canal. It apparently released some bacteria when the dentist sealed up the roots. I am on clindamycin now, which has gotten rid of the pain and swelling, but it was a rough several days.  By today, it was feeling good. I also started getting a little neuropathy (in my case, tingling) in my left foot. Was in the afternoons and evenings a couple of days, and started when I was on a walk.

Tuesday we drove down to Jenny's to drop off our freezer packs and food for Wednesday, then went  to Suzi's to have dinner and stay overnight so we'd be closer in the morning. Plus we drove a chair down to Suzi that she had loaned us for years.

We got to our appointment to have the port installed at 6:30 am. They had me come in and fill out all the paperwork, take my blood pressure, explain it all to me, etc, then wait an hour while the doctors were all in a meeting. Then the surgeon and the person doing the sedation came in explained everything, I signed stuff, and off we went.

The procedure was done with a fluoroscope guiding the placement. The woman doing the sedation said she is not an anesthesiologist, because she only does conscious sedation. This is supposed to mean that you are somewhat aware during the surgery, but will likely fall asleep, and you'll forget everything. For me, I have different reactions to anesthesia and sedation, so I told her it might not be the same for me. They put "reminders" on my arms, which is a gentle name for soft restraints, in case I was awake and tried to grab at things. Indeed, I did not fall asleep and I remember everything. There was very little pain, just pressure. I gasped a couple of times when they pushed hard on something and they backed off. I wasn't supposed to talk, because the throat needed to be still, so the sedation woman would yell (she had to stand in a corner of the room away from everything and watch the monitors from there) to me not to talk or nod, but she was running over to ask me a question. She'd run over and tell me to blink my eyes if I was OK, I would, then she'd return to her corner. Very interesting!) There were about 5 or 6 people in there. I was introduced to each one, but my memory was not good enough to remember anybody's names! They told me I could remove the coverings and take a shower 48 hours later, but let the steri-strips fall off on their own over the next 2 weeks. They accessed the port for me and left it in for the infusion to use in the afternoon. I was out of there by about 10:30, even though the procedure itself took about 30 minutes.  

Frank picked me up at the door and we drove to Jenny's. We sat and had a snack (I hadn't eaten since 11 pm, and was actually hungry for once), picked up the food for the rest of the day and our cooler full of frozen things, got hugs, and left for my 12:30 appointment. The blood draw was super easy and the phlebotomist was super happy I had the port in. Then we went to the oncologist. She answered our questions, did an exam (again, she can't feel the lump, so that's good), and talked a bit about what might happen after surgery. This part is very dependent on what they find during the surgery, but there is likely to be additional treatment afterwards, from immunotherapy, radiation, to chemotherapy in pill or IV form. We're hoping for the tumor to be gone so I can have the least treatment possible, of course, but we won't know results for 1-2 weeks after the surgery.

Then we went to get my infusion. I had saline, Pepcid, Aprepitant, Dexamethazone, Pembro, Taxol, and carboplatin. Spent the time reading a book until I had to put the cold mitts on, then Frank & worked on a crossword puzzle until I got too tired, then I listed to my music playlist. This time I took my socks off to do the freezer socks, hoping that will help the neuropathy. I also had forgotten to take B12 a couple times last week, which is supposed to help, so I'll be good about taking that every day.

This morning I woke Frank up at 3 am and asked him to get me some anti-nausea pills and my anti-nausea wrist device. I guess the Pembo/platinum combination is more likely to cause nausea. Feeling better this morning!

Here I am ready to use the handy          And here's my "knitting/hiking" group

"Rest Area" bench at a neighbor's               on a day I was feeling much better!          

         house on a particularly challenging day.      We started as a knitting group and transitioned                               - Thanks, Diane and Mike                    to hiking during the pandemic. They walk slower

                                                                         and shorter for me! 

                                                                                    Thanks, Melanie, Gudrun, and Mary!                                                    

Here's Suzi and her cat Frida enjoying the chair!

Here's me in my modified shirt so they can access the port. 

Thanks, Jenny, for the clothing alteration!

They had over 30 waiting rooms prepping patients for surgery.