Because Timpanogos Regional Hospital's radiology department's track record with finding my veins and inserting ports, we have to drive to Provo for today's port insertion.
Can I just say how much I love Riverwoods Imaging? It's a beautiful building with VERY caring, compassionate, and competent medical staff.
Gina is my nurse and she is wonderful! She checks on me regularly, is there to answer any questions we have, and takes the time to listen to me.
Dr. Gibby is equally wonderful. It usually takes about 45 minutes to place a port. It takes about two hours to place mine today, but I am absolutely not complaining. Instead, I'm rejoicing that their team is taking the requisite time to ensure that the port works well.
They have to tape down my chest to try and get as much access to my right neck, but I'm used to that.
No sedation, so I'm able to sense everything. At one point, I sense warm liquid running down my neck and part of my back. I think it must be a douse of liquid antibiotics, but then that doesn't explain the warmth. Then, it hits me. Of course! It's my blood. Okay, don't contemplate that too long, Trish.
At another point, I feel a weird pain, almost a sharp electrical shock in the middle of my left butt, then it travels down my left leg, gradually lessening until it stops about mid calf. Suddenly, I feel like I can't breathe. I focus on breathing slowly in for 3-4 counts and out for 3-4 counts to try and not panic, but it's a really strange sensation. I mention to Dr. Gibby and Gina, but they've never heard of that happening during a port insertion. Neither have I, and this is the fourth port for me. They kind of dismiss it since they don't really know what to do. My O2 concentration is good, so I keep focusing on breathing and imagine that I'm sitting on a beach with a cool breeze, birds calling overhead, and my toes nestled into the warm, wet sand.
A little while longer, Dr. Gibby knows what happened. He must have touched a vasal nerve with the lidocaine needle. It's the only explanation he knows of, but he didn't realize he'd gone so deep with the numbing medication. And there's really no way to tell where those vasal nerves are. We know he didn't nick the nerve because my O2 levels remained great, so no real harm done.
What really takes him a long time is closing the wound. Normally, they put only one layers of sutures in a port incision, but he takes extra time putting in three layers. He says my skin is so thin from having multiple ports and from the chemo, so the sutures aren't really "biting" the skin the way they should. He's afraid that the wound will open and get infected again if he doesn't go overboard with the sutures. I'm glad he cares that much! He even puts in three external sutures and one external suture at my neck to ensure everything stays closed.
After I'm cleaned up, all of the tape is removed, and I'm re-gowned, it's time to remove the PICC line. Gina actually seems nervous about pulling it; but Dr. Gibby assures her it's easy and she doesn't need him to supervise, so here we go. After removing the three external sutures that are holding it in and a gentle tug, a 1.5 foot white flexible tube comes out. I thought it would be a bigger deal, that I'd feel it more. But it's done. Gina seems relieved also at how easy it was.
What care! I will definitely drive to Provo rather than go to Timpanogos Hospital if I ever need a port again.
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