It's Started

My next marathon has begun.

I had a port, central line, catheter, all the same thing, put in my chest on Wednesday. Had I known the full details of the surgical procedure, I may have chickened-out. A 1 ½ inch incision was cut in the right side of my chest and a siliconized rubber disk was put under the skin. Then the IV line attached to the port was threaded under my skin up over my collarbone and down through another 1 inch incision made above my collarbone. The second incision was used to start an IV in my neck and then the tubing from the port line was threaded through the vein all the way down until just outside my heart. Yes, there was a lot of pain afterwards and I even woke up during the procedure when he was cutting into/putting the IV in my neck and I said “That hurts!” They really knocked me out after that. Unfortunately, I got very sick from the anesthesia drugs they gave me. And to top it off, I have picked up a cold. So, my battery has been running pretty low the last few days. I’m glad I have a comfortable bed. That all said, once I’ve recovered, the good news is that I have been giving the green light to do any kind of exercise. Running trails here I come.

Assuming I get rid of my cold, I start chemotherapy on Wednesday, Dec. 12. The first cycle will be for 4 days in a row, outpatient. The following cycles will be every 4 weeks for a total of 6 months. I really don’t know what to expect, other than a lot of fatigue. I suspect I will be getting plenty of sleep.

I have family or friends staying with me for the treatment weeks, but will be on my own the rest of the time. Many of you have asked if there is something you can do. For starters, I think I’d like to put a list together of who is willing to do what and your contact info. I realize everyone is busy and this way if there is a list, someone in that Helping Hand section will be able to respond when needed.

So, here are a few things.
1) Frozen meals serving 2-3 people.
2) Taking me to doctor appointments
3) Running errands like picking up prescriptions or getting basic food supplies
4) Helping me with a few household chores like laundry
5) GUYS---Filling up my wood supply and playing with the dogs

I’m sure there are some more items that will get added to the list, as time progresses.

Thanks for being there, sending prayers, positive thoughts, and love. It really does help. Oh yeah, and the funny emails. Guys, you know who you are.

Kit