Saturday, August 16, 2008

Power Ranger Port

Yesterday, 15 August 2008, I was back at the hospital for an outpatient procedure to turn me into a Power Ranger.

Okay, not really a Power Ranger (cool as that might have been). Instead I had a Power Port installed.

The port will allow my oncologist, Dr. G, to deliver the chemotherapy to my system more efficiently. Instead of sticking me with an IV and having the chemo go up the vein in my arm, then into the heart, and then to the rest of my body, the port basically sends the chemo straight to my heart. This will prevent long-term damage to the veins in my arm and it also means less needle sticks (and frankly, I've been stuck with enough needles already).

The port itself is under the skin on the upper left side of my chest. Right now it's very sore, so if you feel the need to punch me in the chest, please aim for the right side.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Doug: glad to hear you've gotten your port, and you've always been a power ranger to me. Jim H. has been teaching me how to post to a blog, but earlier this week I forgot to include my name; duh. I'm enjoying reading your posts and being able to hear your particular sense of humor again. I've actually started to work with the folks in N.C. as of last week, albeit, from Orlando. But at least I've started. Hang in there!

Risa