Day 33 - Port Surgery preps

Good day again... though very trying with a 3 1/2 year old. I think Amelia was the only pain I had today. Grrr... but that's for another blog! LOL

Today during my lunch hour I sped to OHSU Health and Healing Center to get my blood drawn. I had a nice tech who used a small butterfly needle and a syringe to take my blood. She said I had tiny veins and that using a syringe instead of the vacuum type vial would be better suited for me and a lesser of a chance of her blowing my vein out. Good choice.

After the quick blood draw, I went up to the 7th floor to see if I could meet Angie, one of Dr. Luoh's nurses. They had her paged and I finally got to meet her. What an awesome woman. We exchanged pictures of our kids. She asked how I was doing. Apparently she read my file and saw that I had called in last Friday because of my back spasms. She asked what went on and if I took anything. I told her nope because by the time Mary Ann got back to me, the spasms were decreasing. Yay. She said that I was a trooper for putting up with the pain. But what really could I do? I couldn't take anything for fear of a fever or putting a blood thinner type drug in my body.

Then it was back to work. At 12p, I got the call that my blood work was okay and I had a time scheduled for my port procedure. Guess what time it's at... just guess... okay... it's aat 1:30p tomorrow! Holy smoke... and they said I can't eat past midnight tonight. No food, no water. Um... yea that's going to fly with me going in at work at 4a. I am going to be soooo dang hungry. Shortly after that call, Angie called and said that my labs came back great and that I should be hearing from the surgery department. I said, yea I already heard from them. I told her about the no eating. She said that I should definitely call them and see if I can eat anything between 12 and the time I go into work. She said that they obviously don't know my work schedule. So after work I gave surgery a call. What a treat that was... read on.

So I called surgery oncology. The woman who answered the phone was *fabulous* and I don't mean that in a good way. She said I couldn't eat after 12. I asked her what was the cut off time that I can't eat for surgery. She still insisted it was 12. I said I work at 4 in the morning and not eating from midnight on wasn't going to cut it and that I'd be starving and on my last legs if I could not eat anything. So after insisting a couple of more times that I wanted to know the minimum time between my last meal and surgery... she put me on hold to ask a nurse. When she came back on the line, she was curt and said 4 is the latest. Oh, did I mention that she said that they don't want me eating in case they can get me in early? Honestly, how much earlier can they get me in if I am to check in at 1:30? It's not like they are getting me in at 9a. Sheesh, some people. Brad will have half a day and will be coming with me.

So guess what I am doing at 3:30 tomorrow? hahahaha

Oh so this is what will happen tomorrow. I will pay $750 (credit card for airline miles!) to OHSU. Then they will take me in for the procedure which is "day surgery." My doctor is Dr. Rodney Pommier (his brother and sister used to babysit Brad). They will insert the smart port in my chest. The incision will be about one inch in length. Then they will make an incision in my neck. Some how they will feed a tube in that will go into one of my bigger veins. They will do this with either general anesthesia or IV sedation. IV sedation is easier because it doesn't take as long for me to "come to" - I'm not asleep.

Well, it is late... 8:30 and I need to go to bed. I just finished eating a late Valentine's Day dinner with Brad (leftovers) and my dessert consisted of two Samoa girl scout cookies. Yum. Tomorrow's dinner is already made - chicken enchiladas. Double yum!

Hi to Dawn! Hi mom... love talking to you.