Medical Stuff

This post is for all of you people who are fascinated with the medical process of things. If you aren't, skip it. Go do something else fun. Medical people, here goes.

First, the port. The port is a small round disk that is under my skin on my chest about half way between my shoulder and my breast on the right side. On the top of the port, just under my skin, is a rubber circle that a needle is poked into to access the port. When they are done using it and take the needle out, the rubber just seals back up. Inside, attached to the side of the port is a line that runs up over my collar bone and into one of my major veins. When the IV fluid goes in, I can feel it running over my collar bone and into my chest area. Besides the little poke to get the needle in, the port is painless when they use it and much more comfortable than in IV in the arm. The only discomfort the port causes me is when I lay on it at night. I can feel it fighting for room with my muscles under my skin. Also, I have to take a blood thinner to keep the port operating properly.

The chemo was different than I had imagined it would be. I imagined they would hook up a giant bag to the IV and I would just sit there. In fact, I had 8 different bags hooked to the IV and three different medicine pushed in by the nurse. Before and after every medicine, they ran in a bag of saline. There was a bag of anti-nausea medicine, a steroid, a bag of Benadryl and three kinds of chemo meds. One of the chemo meds was bright red and pushed into the IV by the nurse. I had to suck on a Popsicle while it was administered. The Popsicle was to constrict the blood vessels in my mouth to keep the chemo meds from getting to the lining of my mouth and causing mouth sores. This medicine also made my pee an amazing shade of pink. The other two chemo meds were just boring bags that hung from the pole. I will have this treatment three more times, each will be three weeks apart.

The nurse warned us that this weekend, my immune system would be at its lowest point. I need to be careful about the food that I eat and the germs I am exposed to. Paul has already decreed house arrest for me, but we will see about that. At any rate, I will be careful about what I do. The doctor gave me an immunity boosting shot, so I should be ok.

Ever since I had the chemo, I have felt like my tongue was wearing a sweater. I would very much like to brush my teeth to get the fur feeling away. However, my toothpaste has started to make me gag. The aftertaste of the Crest toothpaste I have been using is just too sweet. So, if you have a great toothpaste that is really minty and not sweet, please let me know. I really, really don't like the fur on my tongue.

I feel another nap coming on. Going to go slither into bad. Love, Cara

"This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.' " 2 Chronicles 20:15