Port & Tap

May 13, 2023

No, it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m not doing any drinking…I don’t like Port anyways 😊

William drove me to the hospital at 8am only to find out that my appointment wasn’t really until 10am, but they told me 8am. I guess they expected it to take a long time to do paperwork, but it was all done online the night before. When they finally took me back to pre-op they made me pee in a cup (again) to take another pregnancy test! I had a good laugh about this. I was hooked up to an IV and taken back for surgery. The last time I did this I was knocked out for this, but this time I was wide awake for the entire thing. I was on some good drugs, so I didn’t feel it. But it was strange to be awake for surgery. They did have a barrier in front of my face so I couldn’t see anything. When they do a port they make an incision in your chest and place this silicone wrapped plastic ‘port’ under your skin and run a tube up to the vein in your neck. This allows the drugs to pump directly into your bloodstream without the need to stick your arm for every treatment.

After surgery William was sitting with me and my primary doctor called to ask if we had gotten a schedule for another paracentesis. I was in a lot of pain from swelling again. One of the nurses overheard the conversation and asked if I wanted to have it done since I was already there. She started making calls for me to find out if we could get it done today while William was making calls to get a copy of the order. Within an hour we had an opening to get this done!

They wheeled my bed 20 feet down the hall to another room and drained 4.4 liters of fluid from my abdomen. It was instant relief! My appetite returned almost immediately and I was able to eat. It was the first time I ate food without feeling crappy in 2 weeks. I want to tell you how amazing my primary doctor is. She fights to get stuff done and she did this the last time I had cancer. She is constantly calling William to ask how I’m doing and what we need. And most of the nurses and doctors I’ve been dealing with have been gentle and kind. But the nurses that were working today were just amazing, going above and beyond to help make things happen. It is so comforting to see how God is surrounding me with people who love him. I had nurses today who hugged me and told me how they would be praying for me. I so appreciate people who work in the medical field that have the gift of compassion, who are gentle, that truly care. My prayer is that I would continue to have people like that throughout this process. It makes all the difference. Thank you for reading this so far and being a part of my story. I want to encourage you to never give up. Whatever you are dealing with in life, don’t give up. Know that God loves you. I love you all, -Tamika