Well, I've raced through a brief history taking me to this current post. Just a step back one day to yesterday....met with Dr. Baltz prior to getting started with the chemotherapy. Again, he was very good. I had my "list" of questions for him...'tell me about fatigue'; 'will I lose my hair'; 'with that pump, how do I, uh, you know, uh sit down to....you know.."; he answered them all. I will be fatigued, but adjust my workload to my level of energy. My hair...he said probably not, maybe thinning....I am preparing to have to be sporting a baseball cap just the same.
He said with only one lymph node affected, he said that was more like having no node, but still the same, the chemo would be good insurance against recurrence. My CT Scan came back totally clean, labs were excellent, I was ready to have the port installed this morning and start the treatments.
7:30 am Checked into the cardiac ward at Northwest Memorial for the procedure. Took me back right away and prep began: change into the fashion award-winning hospital gown "opening to the back"-check; blood pressure and temperature -check; start the IV "little pinch" - check; then I was wheeled back to the IR at about 8:10.
8:30 am Nurses have me prepped, the 'drape' over the spot and shielding my face. Time for the 'twilight' juice (I didn't really feel anything, but I guess the fact I talked to the doctor throughout the procedure without complaining means it probably worked!)
8:35 am Dr. Katz started by giving me a few 'locals' around the site (I did feel those, I thought I wouldn't) then he started the insertion. Felt a lot of pushing and tugging and more pushing, all the while he's talking current events with me!
9:00 am All done! Back to recovery. Easy-peasy.
9:20 am Wheeling me to truck to leave. Next stop...Dr. Baltz's office to start the treatments...
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