I feel like it’s been forever since I gave an update, but honestly there hasn’t been a ton happening since March 30th update.
I have developed some food aversions. Chicken and pork are top contenders of now. The sight and smell of chicken gags me to no end. I couldn’t make it past the first pork rib. Ben and Jerry are still doing well in my wheelhouse though as are heath blizzards. Cherry Garcia and Mint Cookies are my go to B&Jerry’s.
April 8th I had labs, radiation mapping, and an oncology appointment. Labs all look good and no cause for concern. We will continue labs every three months. Oncology discussed what’s next. I’ll be taking an estrogen blocker for 5-10 years. All depends on how I tolerate and scans and labs and blah blah blah. Oncology suggested taking leave for all of radiation. I probably won’t.
The radiation mapping took all of 10 minutes. That was the appointment start to finish. The longest part was trying to figure out which platform to use. And the only pain was in my neck where the fing port is threaded through. The hope is that the mapping will be finished sooner than later and we start next week. If not we hope to start on the 21st as this would end on May 15th with the 19 sessions. More on why we want this below.
On April 9th, we returned to Durango to have my port removed. There were two reasons I wanted it out. 1. It has bothered me from the beginning. And in the last week the pain has gotten worse especially with this cough that won’t go away from the respiratory infection. I sneezed the other night and screamed so loud I was sure the campground 2 miles away heard me. 2. We hope it is healed for our raft trip on May 19th. If nothing goes to plan, Murray is still required to go!
I was super nervous for the port removal. ASI stated in the Facebook post “I was asleep for insertion but awake for taking it out”. WTF! My neighbor suggested putting on the lidocaine an hour, 45 minutes, and 30 minutes prior. I did all that and then the doc jabbed me with more. For the most part it was fine, but you know me I like to ramp it up a bit. Sam, our regular nurse, said she wasn’t going to be in for the procedure. I poured and she ended up coming in for the first part. She gave me her hand while I got the lidocaine shot so I could squeeze it and always reminded me to breathe. She was there to place the grounding device on my leg while the doc cauterized the bleeder. Then she left and Jesse took over holding my hand, rubbing my arm and shoulder, and again reminding me to breathe. Once the doc pulled out the port, Jesse held pressure on my jugular for 5 minutes since that’s where the tubing of the port came out of. The doc assured me I wasn’t bleeding internally. Then she sewed me up while Murray watched. I said he was learning in case he had to do it on the river. He said no way. But you know never say never.
And here we are today. We are back at the park. I am a little sore at the incision site but otherwise fine. I made bang bang shrimp for dinner over rice and Murray said it was a keeper (and can it be made on the river).
Until next time…