Port replacement was no fun and I am glad that it is over. I am allergic to the most common skin cleanser for surgical procedures, and they elected to use it anyway and give me a big dose of benadryl. I was itchy all that day and the rash is still fading. The doctor told me to avoid all activities that produce sweat for a week, as well as not lifting my elbow above my shoulder on the port side. I got sore today shelving books in the library at my daughter’s school – just pushing the other books aside to make room was obviously irritating to the affected side. After the procedure the doctor told me that mine was the deepest port he has seen in over 1,000 procedures. That sure explains why it was so hard to access!
My birthday was this weekend, my fifth since my diagnosis. Each birthday I get to celebrate is a big deal, and I find I want to celebrate them quietly. My daughter planned a day of celebration for me, and it was delightful to follow her lovingly crafted plan. Rest and snuggling and family play was exactly how I dreamed of spending the day.
I have come off a medication I was originally put on when I started my new treatment, as it is supposed to help with the skin side effects. I was nervous about it, but my skin seems to be handling it fine. A big positive is that it is now easier to take all the vitamins I need to be taking – they have to be timed a certain number of hours away from that medicine and it was tough to fit them all in a day. I have been needing infusions of a couple vitamins during chemo because my levels have been low – I am hoping that taking the supplements more regularly means I can avoid that and shorten my infusion visits.
This week I get back to chemo. I am never excited to get chemo, but one positive side effect is that the steroids I get to help manage the associated nausea also help with my pain. The pain flares up pretty predictably when I have an extra week off of treatment. Getting back to my biweekly schedule will hopefully keep it at bay again. Now I’m off to knock out all the errands that need my attention before chemo takes me offline for a couple days.
