Portacath go around-around

Do you consider that a nice little get away or what?

Whatdayamean?

Whatdayamean, whatdayamean?

We left here noooot quite as early as we had planned to Thursday afternoon to stay in the Guest House Annex so we would not have to get up and out the day of surgery, but here I am the epitome of falling asleep, and it was late whenever we got away. Think every bit of 6:00 p.m. Anyway. looks like we got to Jonesboro about 7:00 p.m. Thursday night (thanks Twitter for looking back to see) and had a couple of errands to run, and I was a nervous mess.

I had to be over to One Day Surgery by 7:30, which is about the time we get there for IVIG therapy anyway, so not too bad really. Only difference is I am much more nervous than for the IVIG. Last night a whole Route 44 Diet Coke turned upside down off my bedside table. "I didn't do it," was my first thought because I never felt myself touch it, but *I* was the only one there. I turned that direction, and there just was no coke. I looked on in astonishment before I was able to say anything. Jim had just laid down, and was exhausted, so he got up huffin and puffin. My brown carpetbag was there. Everything we brought was in it, and I could just see it being saturated with coke. Missed by little more than an inch or two. Jim got it all cleaned up regardless of how it happened. He crawled back in bed. Got all comfy. I resumed what I was doing on my computer, and getting me a drink finally. YIKES! There it goes again! Oh, gosh! What is going on? There were ups and downs, but finally all is settled down. Nothing to eat or drink after midnight. So, pretzels and coke (it really was diet Pepsi by that time when we were buying hospital drinks) until midnight. I don't remember stopping my game playing and falling asleep. So. What else is new?

Oh, I just remembered..... I dropped Baby Girl one of those times. Baby Girl? Oh, she was a kitten I tried to help some years ago . Not totally feral, but not fully trusting either. I carried her in a loop of a diaper around my neck (know how, up close to my body. It helped. Precious, our tuxedo cat (Ashley's) adopted her, and nursed her (though never having had a kitten of her own). We all watched. The torties and me. I took pictures but they are on back-up disks I believe. Anyway..... sniff, sniff.... the front door was open just a split second too long one time, and out she scooted. Jim went out for her, but no luck. She was special. Well, this mouse is very special as it replaced my really, really faithful red mouse that had served me well until it died, and when Jim went to replace it, there was no red one, so he had to buy this gold one, and it's name? Why, since it is the baby, then nothing do but to name it Baby Girl.

Okay, I made a conscious effort to place Baby Girl where she would not slide off the bed again. Now, off to gameland, and sleep!

It was interesting arriving at One Day Surgery today. There was a bit of....uh.... not excitement..... not the nervousness.....maybe a kind of excitement really would best describe it. Terry was at the desk at the window, and it was good seeing her there. We didn't know it, but she would be pivotal in the outcome of my surgery later in the day. She is part of my "A" team that is successful in accessing my portacath. Linda is the other nurse, then I apply a resistance to Terry. Remember that for later. Terry and Linda, in ODS. "A" Team.

Jim let's me off on ODS floor, then he goes on down to register me. While waiting for him, I want to weigh myself. Well. Look at that will ya? They've moved things around in here since we left the other day. The scales are up close to the door now. I did a pretty good job of walking up on the scales. Oh, am I a little woman, and oh, my goodness have I lost a lot of weight! Okay. That is kg, and I *have* lost some more weight. Reducing that Prednisone even 20 mg is making a difference.

I am in room 316 this time, which is right across from the nurse's station. What a room it is! Lots different than our usual room we have for the IVIG infusions. It really doesn't take much to impress me. When Jim gets up there we get me into the nice hospital gown, and take our places to WAIT. They come in to do a chest x-ray, lab work, and then an ekg. Melissa (shown below) is my nurse, and gets to take all my history bless her heart. Julia gets an IV started. Wheeeeee........... they're so fast; they're so gooooood! I know because I know them!

Okay, they are all done, and it's only about 8:00. I'm scheduled for 10:30. Loooooong wait, and I didn't bring anything to do for that time. Well, for one thing, I didn't know what time I was scheduled for. I had my U.S. News, but reading didn't seem to do it for me this morning. Finally, Jim asked if I was hinting for him to go get my computer......"You can take it that way if you want to," I told him (isn't he the sweetesst?), and he got up and went back to the room to get it for me...... Baby Girl would get to come, too..... sweet...... I'm crazy.

My computer is better than any anti-anxiety, plus it is paid for (several times over). Just about the time I get connected to a hot spot, here comes surgery for me, right on time. Wouldn't you know it. Just when I am downloading mail in she walks to take me to surgery!! Why couldn't she be late like they usually are? Nooooo, they had to be perfectly on time! So off we go down the hall, through the elevators, and into the bright, white starkness of the OR. Another world. The world in which Donnie works. She parks my bed, and puts a warm blanket over me. Yummy, snuggly.

Then begins the parade. Just a small parade. The nurse anesthetist and I were talking about the risks with MG when two more walk up. One is Dr. Phillips, the other is the anesthesiologist. Dr. Phillips starts quizzing me on what we were doing, and I explained to him that we were removing the existing port for a new one. Why, he asked? Weeeeell, it's like this. It is virtually inaccessible.

What did I mean by that? The nurses on 3rd floor here at St. Bernard's are almost the only ones who can access it. Then I went on to name the various hospitals that the nurses have been unable to access it. BUT, the ones upstairs on 3rd floor in ODS have been able to do it? That's right. Now, to refresh, this conversation is taking place as I am prepped and we (ME, surgeon, anesthesiologist, and others) are getting ready to go into surgery. "Now hon," he says. Then he and I go into a long extended conversation on the pros and cons of having this surgery. According to him I would be risking unnecessary surgery. I sure was in no favor of having surgery, so was in easy agreement with him. Everything seemed to make so much sense. Then. Time. Later, given all the time to sync.

Actually, I am glad a decision was being made for NOT having surgery, rather than one FOR having surgery under those circumstances. It was too quick, and lacked full examination of all facts. I think that is all I really want to say right now.

So, now, was that just a nice little get-a-way or what? I'm just tired rehashing it all for this.