The Port is Out

I was up at 3:30 and could not go back to sleep. Who knows what it was ... anxiety about the port removal ... hubby's snoring! We ended up going to the hospital a little early and they took us very quickly.

I'd forgotten to bring a book so had to read the rag hubby had brought along. Dr. Knaysi seemed to arrive a little before 8:15 and came in to brief me about what the process would entail. Offered me a sedative in addition to the local, but I was determined to stick to the local so that I could go home quickly.

I must say I was a little apprehensive about what it would be like with just a local. Perhaps the most painful part of the whole thing was when he was injecting the site ... it felt a little like when I had to get injections of the dye before the lumpectomy. You feel the prick of the injections and then the pain spreads. It was bearable pain and the nurse who was at my head and watching me, said that I did not even flinch. In the operating room they offered me the sedative again, and I heard her tell Dr. Knaysi's NP Susan Uhle that I was pretty calm.

You really can't see anything. Since the port was on my left, my head was turned to the right. There are sterile sheets covering everything, and a sheet shielding your face from the whole procedure. Dr. Knaysi and the nurses talked to me throughout the whole process. Sometimes telling me what was happening and other times just chatting with me. Do you feel pain? No, but you definitely can feel the tugging ... it just doesn't hurt. It seemed that the sewing up took longer than the actual removal. Dr. Knaysi's NP did the sewing up ... in two weeks, we'll see how she did. I have saved some emu oil to fade the scar.

The whole removal process probably took no more than 30 minutes. I have a thick wad of sterile dressing over the incision  and I'm supposed to be able to remove that tomorrow. But I'll do what I did before and leave it on for an extra day. Under that are steri-strips that I am supposed to leave on until they fall off by themselves in two weeks. The internal stitches will dissolve on their own.

I did not feel any pain after the procedure but tonight I can feel the pain. I am determined to take nothing stronger than extra-strength Tylenol.