When the nurse called last week to tell me about my new prescription she also let me know that the doctor had finally cleared me for my chest port. I’m not sure what, if anything, has changed, but for some reason they’ve decided to move forward with it at this time. If you don’t remember, I was originally supposed to have it put in before my first chemo treatment, but an initial blood test indicated that my blood doesn’t clot normally and that I might be a bit of a hemophiliac. Apparently that was enough to cause them to think twice about sticking a semi-permanent tube into the largest vein in my body. But I guess that they’ve decided to move forward with it before the chemo treatments damage the smaller veins in my hands and forearms.

Like most new things, I’m pretty nervous about having it put in. Mostly just because I’ll have this extra little bump sticking out of my chest for 6 months, but I’ve been told that I’ll quickly get used to it and that in the long run I’ll appreciate having it.The unit is about the size of a quarter and is maybe 3/4 of an inch thick. It’s installed just under the skin and connects to a catheter which will run into one of the larger pulmonary (I think) veins in my chest. Then, when it’s time for chemo they simply plug-in and go!

That part will be a welcome change as there have been difficulties starting an IV both times that I’ve had chemo so far. Both times they tried to start it in my hands, and both times the first person had to call in for backup. This last round they wound up going into a vein near my wrist.

Hopefully, a thing of the past

When I asked why they don’t just go into the vein in the arm (where they take blood draws from and where you normally see IV’s put in) they said it was because they like to “preserve” those veins whenever they can. Like I said, the reason they do chest ports is because these drugs are powerful, and for the lack of a better term, they are corrosive and can damage these smaller veins. So when possible they like to put chemo into a large vein in the chest where it won’t do as much damage.

So, the tentative plan is to have the procedure done next Wednesday a few hours before my next chemo treatment. I’m still waiting for the follow-up call to schedule the appointment, but I’m pretty sure that this will be happening. We are also meeting with the oncologist again on that day, so next Wednesday is shaping up to be a pretty big day!

In happy news, I’m done with my injections for this round! We’ll find out after my next blood test on Tuesday whether or not my white blood cell count was indeed boosted and if it was worth it!